Female connector, male connector, connector assembly and ultrasound catheter device

Abstract

The invention provides a female connector, a male connector, a connector assembly and ultrasonic catheter equipment. The female connector is used for being in butt joint with the male connector. The female connector comprises a female shell, a rigid locking piece and an operating piece. An accommodating cavity is formed in the female shell; the rigid locking piece is provided with a locking main body positioned in the accommodating cavity and a locking part extending out of the accommodating cavity; the operating piece is provided with a transmission end which is located in the containing cavity and abuts against the locking body and an operating end located outside the containing cavity. The transmission end drives the locking part to move between the locking position and the unlocking position under the condition that acting force is applied to the operation end. The female connector provided by the invention is more stable in butt joint with the male connector and is not easy to fall off; and even if the female connector and the male connector are plugged and unplugged for many times, the locking effect on the butt joint of the female connector and the male connector is still good when the locking part is located at the locking position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular, to a female connector, a male connector, a connector assembly, and an intracardiac ultrasound catheter device. Background Art

[0002] Intracardiac ultrasound is a new echocardiogram diagnosis technology combined with cardiac catheterization. It places an imaging catheter device equipped with an ultrasound probe inside the heart cavity to accurately display the anatomical and physiological structures inside the heart and within the lumen of large blood vessels. The intracardiac ultrasound catheter device generally consists of an ultrasound system, a control handle, and a catheter. One end of the control handle is connected to the catheter, and the other end is connected to the ultrasound system. Due to the requirement of a sterile surgical environment, the intracardiac ultrasound catheter device is preferably simple in structure, low in cost, and disposable. The ultrasound system is expensive. Therefore, the control handle is usually connected to the ultrasound system through a connector assembly. In this way, after the intracardiac ultrasound catheter device is used up, the connector assembly can be disassembled, so that the control handle and the catheter can be repaired, cleaned, or replaced.

[0003] Among them, the connector assembly is usually divided into two parts: a male connector and a female connector. Some of the existing connector assemblies do not have a locking mechanism. The connection between the male connector and the female connector is just that the connection terminals of the male connector are correspondingly inserted into the connection socket of the female connector. When there is movement or vibration, the male connector and the female connector may occasionally become detached, and the connection is unstable. Some connector assemblies have a locking mechanism, but the locking mechanism uses the elasticity of a plastic part or a metal sheet provided on the female connector for locking and unlocking. During the process of inserting and removing the male connector and the female connector multiple times, the locking mechanism of the connector assembly will be locked and unlocked multiple times. Each time, the plastic part or the metal sheet needs to deform. After multiple uses, it is easy to cause wear and tear, resulting in a poor locking effect and unable to be used stably for a long time. That is to say, even if such a connector assembly has a locking mechanism, there is still a problem of unstable connection between the male connector and the female connector. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to at least partially solve the problems existing in the prior art, according to one aspect of the present invention, a female connector is provided. The female connector is used to dock with a male connector. The female connector includes a female housing, a rigid locking member, and an operating member. An accommodation cavity is formed inside the female housing; the rigid locking member has a locking body located inside the accommodation cavity and a locking portion extending outside the accommodation cavity; the operating member has a transmission end located inside the accommodation cavity and abutting against the locking body and an operating end located outside the accommodation cavity. Among them, when a force is applied to the operating end, the transmission end drives the locking portion to move between a locking position and an unlocking position.

[0005] The female connector provided by the present invention can drive the locking part to move between the locking position and the unlocking position by applying a force to the operating end. When the locking part is in the locking position, it can lock the docking of the female connector and the male connector, so that the docking of the female connector and the male connector is more stable and not easy to fall off. Moreover, the rigid locking piece has a certain rigidity, which is different from using structural elasticity for locking. Even if the female connector and the male connector are plugged and unplugged multiple times, when the locking part is in the locking position, the locking effect of the docking of the female connector and the male connector is still very good. In addition, for such a female connector, only by applying a force to the operating end can the locking part move between the locking position and the unlocking position. Such an operation method is very simple. When such a female connector is docked with the male connector, the switching between the locked state and the unlocked state of the docking is simpler.

[0006] Exemplarily, a positioning pin is provided on the female housing, the positioning pin penetrates through the locking body, and the locking body can rotate around the positioning pin.

[0007] Exemplarily, the locking body includes an abutting portion, the transmission end abuts against the abutting portion, and on the rigid locking piece, the abutting portion and the locking part are respectively located on both sides of the positioning pin.

[0008] Exemplarily, a torsion member is provided on the positioning pin, the torsion member is connected to the rigid locking piece, and applies a force to the rigid locking piece to keep the locking part in the locking position.

[0009] Exemplarily, the female housing includes an upper housing, a positioning seat is provided on the upper housing, and the positioning pin is provided on the positioning seat.

[0010] Exemplarily, an opening is provided on the positioning seat, the opening extends towards the inside of the positioning seat to form a positioning groove, and the positioning pin penetrates through the positioning groove and can slide in the positioning groove.

[0011] Exemplarily, the female housing includes an upper housing, a communication port is provided on the upper housing, and the operating member passes through the upper housing through the communication port.

[0012] Exemplarily, the outer side surface of the upper housing is recessed towards the accommodating cavity to form an accommodating cavity, the operating end is connected with a button, and at least part of the button is located in the accommodating cavity.

[0013] Exemplarily, a limiting portion is provided on the operating member, and the edge of the communication port forms a limit on the limiting portion to keep the limiting portion in the accommodating cavity.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, a male connector is provided for docking with any one of the above-mentioned female connectors. The male connector includes a male housing, the male housing has a male docking surface and a side surface, and a locking groove is provided on the side surface.

[0015] Exemplarily, anti-slip patterns are also provided on the side surface.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector assembly, which includes any one of the female connectors described above and any one of the male connectors described above. A docking seat is provided in the accommodation cavity, a connection end seat is provided on the docking seat, a connection port is provided on the female housing, and the connection end seat communicates with the outside through the connection port. A docking head protrudes outward in the docking direction on the male docking surface, and connection terminals are provided on the docking head. When the locking portion moves into the locking groove, it is in the locked position. When the locking portion moves out of the locking groove, it is in the unlocked position. When the locking portion is in the locked position, the male connector and the female connector are docked in the docking direction, and the connection terminals are connected to the connection end seat.

[0017] Exemplarily, a guiding portion protrudes along the docking direction on the male docking surface. The guiding portion has a docking guiding surface and a side guiding surface. The docking guiding surface protrudes and extends outward in the docking direction to form the docking head, and the locking groove is provided on the side guiding surface.

[0018] Exemplarily, the long axis of the docking head is parallel to the symmetry axis of the guiding portion and has a spacing.

[0019] Exemplarily, the female housing has a female docking surface. The female docking surface is recessed toward the accommodation cavity along the docking direction to form a guiding groove, and the connection port is formed at the bottom of the guiding groove. When the male connector and the female connector are docked, the connection terminals pass through the connection port and are connected to the connection end seat, and the female docking surface fits with the male docking surface.

[0020] Exemplarily, the connection terminals are gold fingers. One end of the gold fingers away from the male docking surface has a notch, and there is a spacing between the notch and the symmetry axis of the gold fingers. A positioning insert bar is provided in the connection end seat. When the connection terminals are connected to the connection end seat, the positioning insert bar is inserted into the notch.

[0021] Exemplarily, the long axis of the docking seat is parallel to the symmetry axis of the accommodation cavity and has a spacing.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic catheter device, which includes an ultrasonic system, a control handle, and any one of the connector assemblies described above. The female connector is connected to the ultrasonic system, the male connector is connected to one end of the control handle, and a catheter is connected to the other end of the control handle.

[0023] A series of simplified concepts are introduced in the Summary of the Invention, which will be further described in detail in the Detailed Description section. The Summary of the Invention does not mean to attempt to define the key features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor does it mean to attempt to determine the protection scope of the claimed technical solution.

[0024] The advantages and features of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] The following drawings of the present invention are hereby incorporated as part of the present invention for understanding the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings and their descriptions are used to explain the principles of the present invention. In the drawings,

[0026] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a connector assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a female connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 is a perspective view of an upper housing according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein a rigid locking member is shown;

[0029] Figure 4 is Figure 3 a cross-sectional view of the upper housing shown;

[0030] Figure 5A is a perspective view of a rigid locking member according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5B is a schematic view of an operating member according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a docking seat according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7 is a perspective view of a male connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 8 is a perspective view of a male connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

[0035] Figure 9 is a perspective view of a docking head according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Among them, the above-mentioned drawings include the following reference numerals:

[0037] 10. Female connector; 100. Female housing; 110. Accommodating cavity; 120. Positioning pin; 121. Torque member; 130. Upper housing; 131. Communication port; 132. Placement cavity; 140. Positioning seat; 141. Positioning groove; 1411. Positioning portion; 1412. Opening; 150. Docking seat; 151. Connecting end seat; 160. Connection port; 170. Female docking surface; 171. Guide groove; 180. Locking member; 181. Locking body; 1811. Abutting portion; 182. Locking portion; 190. Operating member; 191. Transmission end; 192. Operating end; 1921. Button; 193. Limiting portion; 20. Male connector; 200. Male housing; 210. Male docking surface; 211. Guide portion; 2111. Docking guide surface; 2112. Side guide surface; 221. Locking groove; 222. Anti-slip pattern; 230. Docking head; 231. Connection terminal. Detailed implementation manners

[0038] In the following description, a large number of details are provided to enable a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art can understand that the following description only exemplarily shows the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention can be implemented without one or more such details. In addition, to avoid confusion with the present invention, some well-known technical features in the art are not described in detail.

[0039] According to one aspect of the present invention, refer to Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and Figure 4 to provide a female connector 10. The female connector 10 can be used to dock with various forms of male connectors. Therefore, according to another aspect of the present invention, a male connector 20 is provided, and the male connector 20 can dock with any of the female connectors 10 to be introduced below. Further, according to still another aspect of the present invention, a connector assembly is provided, and the connector assembly can include any of the male connectors 20 to be introduced below and any of the female connectors 10 to be introduced below. Still further, according to still another aspect of the present invention, an ultrasonic catheter device is provided, and the ultrasonic catheter device can include the connector assembly provided by the present invention. The female connector 10, male connector 20, connector assembly, and ultrasonic catheter device provided by the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] Refer to Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and Figure 5A, the female connector 10 may include a female housing 100, a rigid locking member 180, and an operating member 190. An accommodation cavity 110 may be formed in the female housing 100, and at least part of the rigid locking member 180 and the operating member 190 may be accommodated in the accommodation cavity 110. The female housing 100 may be designed in any form as needed. Preferably, the female housing 100 may be in any form that is convenient for holding. Preferably, the width of the female housing 100 may be matched with the size of a human hand to facilitate the human hand to hold. Refer to Figure 6 , a docking seat 150 for docking with a male connector may be provided on the female connector 10, and a connection end seat 151 may be provided on the docking seat 150. When the female connector 10 is docked with the male connector, a human hand may hold the female housing 100 to dock the female connector 10 with the male connector. The docking seat 150 may be asymmetrically arranged in the accommodation cavity 110. Exemplarily, the long axis of the docking seat 150 is parallel to and spaced from the symmetry axis of the accommodation cavity 110. For example, the docking seat 150 is arranged at a position deviating from the symmetry axis of the accommodation cavity 110 and close to the rigid locking member 180. Due to this asymmetric arrangement, when the direction is inserted reversely, the male connector 20 and the female connector 10 cannot be smoothly docked, which can prompt the user to insert in the reverse direction, so as to achieve an anti-fooling effect and avoid the inability to achieve signal transmission due to the reverse insertion of the direction when the male connector 20 and the female connector 10 are docked. Among them, the docking seat 150 may be oblong, and the long axis of the docking seat 150 may be the connection line from the midpoint of one short side of the docking seat 150 to the midpoint of the other short side.

[0041] The rigid locking member 180 may have a locking body 181 located in the accommodation cavity 110 and a locking portion 182 extending out of the accommodation cavity 110. The rigid locking member 180 means that the rigid locking member 180 has a certain rigidity, and the rigid locking member 180 will not undergo obvious deformation under the action of conventional external forces. In this way, when any part of the rigid locking member 180 is acted on by an external force and moves, other parts of the rigid locking member 180 will move accordingly. Since the locking portion 182 needs to cooperate with the outside for locking, the female housing 100 may have a suitable opening to enable the locking portion 182 to extend out of the accommodation cavity 110.

[0042] The operating member 190 may have a transmission end 191 located within the accommodating cavity 110 and abutted against the locking body 181, and an operating end 192 located outside the accommodating cavity 110. The transmission end 191 may have an end face that is easy to abut against and drive the locking body 181 to move. For example, the transmission end 191 may have an end face in the form of a plane, and the portion of the locking body 181 that abuts against the transmission end 191 may also be a plane. The transmission end 191 should be able to stably abut against the locking body 181 and drive the locking body 181 to move. The specific forms of the transmission end 191 and the locking body 181 are not limited in this application. Similarly, the mother housing 100 may have a suitable opening to enable the operating end 192 to be located outside the accommodating cavity 110. At this time, the operating member 190 may be passed through the opening, and this will be described in detail below. The operating end 192 is located outside the accommodating cavity 110, and such an operating end 192 can facilitate operation. Preferably, the operating end 192 located outside the accommodating cavity 110 may have a suitable size.

[0043] Among them, when a force is applied to the operating end 192, the transmission end 191 can drive the locking portion 182 to move between the locking position and the unlocking position. The operating member 190 may also have a certain rigidity. When an external force acts on the operating end 192, the external force can be transmitted on the operating member 190 to the transmission end 191, so that the external force can drive the locking body 181 to move through the transmission end 191 of the operating member 190. As described above, when the locking body 181 of the rigid locking member 180 moves, the locking portion 182 will move accordingly, so that the locking portion 182 can move between the locking position and the unlocking position. Here, the locking position refers to the position when the locking portion 182 cooperates with the outside to form a lock, and the unlocking position refers to the position when the cooperation between the locking portion 182 and the outside is released and no lock can be formed.

[0044] For example, the operating member 190 may be columnar, and the transmission end 191 may abut against the middle region of the locking body 181. When an external force acts on the operating end 192 to move the operating member 190 downward, the transmission end 191 will also move downward. At this time, the transmission end 191 drives the locking body 181 to move downward, and the locking portion 182 will undergo a corresponding movement with the locking body 181, that is, the locking portion 182 will also move downward; when an external force acts on the operating end 192 to move the operating member 190 upward, the transmission end 191 will also move upward. At this time, the transmission end 191 drives the locking body 181 to move upward, and the locking portion 182 will undergo a corresponding movement with the locking body 181, that is, the locking portion 182 will also move upward. On this basis, a groove with an opening downward may be provided on the male connector, and the locking portion 182 may be in the form of a lock catch. When the male connector is docked with the female connector 10, the locking portion 182 may be located in the groove. At this time, the locking portion 182 is in the locked position, and the docking of the male connector and the female connector 10 is locked. Thus, the docking of the male connector and the female connector 10 has better stability; then, a downward external force is applied to the operating member 190, and the transmission end 191 will drive the locking portion 182 to move downward, and the locking portion 182 leaves the groove, that is, the locking portion 182 leaves the locked position, and the docking of the male connector and the female connector 10 is unlocked; when the male connector and the female connector 10 need to be docked again, the locking portion 182 may first be placed in the unlocked position, and then an upward external force is applied to the operating end 192 of the operating member 190, and the transmission end 191 will drive the locking portion 182 to move upward, and the locking portion 182 can be inserted into the groove described above. At this time, the docking between the male connector and the female connector 10 can be locked. Of course, it can be understood that the groove provided on the male connector, when the locking portion 182 is located in the groove, it is in the locked position, and when it is outside the groove, it is in the unlocked position, is only an example. The locked position and the unlocked position of the locking portion 182 can also be in various other forms, which will not be elaborated here.

[0045] The female connector 10 provided by the present invention can drive the locking portion 182 to move between a locking position and an unlocking position by applying a force to the operating end 192. When the locking portion 182 is in the locking position, the docking of the female connector 10 and the male connector can be locked, so that the docking of the female connector 10 and the male connector is more stable and not easily detached. Moreover, the rigid locking member 180 has a certain rigidity, which is different from using structural elasticity for locking. Even if the female connector 10 and the male connector are plugged and unplugged multiple times, when the locking portion 182 is in the locking position, the locking effect on the docking of the female connector 10 and the male connector is still very good. In addition, for such a female connector 10, only by applying a force to the operating end 192 can the locking portion 182 be moved between the locking position and the unlocking position. Such an operation method is very simple. When such a female connector 10 is docked with the male connector, the switching between the locked state and the unlocked state of the docking is simpler.

[0046] In an embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figure 3 and Figure 5A , a positioning pin 120 can be provided on the female housing 100. The positioning pin 120 can pass through the locking body 181, and the locking body 181 can rotate around the positioning pin 120. The portion of the transmission end 191 that abuts against the locking body 181 can be eccentrically arranged with respect to the positioning pin 120. When a force is applied to the operating end 192, the transmission end 191 will drive the locking body 181 to rotate around the positioning pin 120, and the locking portion 182 will correspondingly rotate around the positioning pin 120. At this time, the locking position and the unlocking position can be two angular positions of the locking portion 182 relative to the positioning pin 120. The setting of the positioning pin 120 can enable the locking portion 182 to move between the locking position and the unlocking position by rotating relative to the positioning pin 120, which can save space and make the overall structure more compact. Such a female connector 10 is more suitable for application in an ultrasonic catheter device.

[0047] The locking body 181 may include an abutting portion 1811, the transmission end 191 may abut against the abutting portion 1811, and the abutting portion 1811 may be the portion where the transmission end 191 abuts against the locking body 181. The abutting portion 1811 may be eccentric with respect to the positioning pin 120. On the rigid locking member 180, when both the abutting portion 1811 and the locking portion 182 are located on the same side of the positioning pin 120, a force is applied to the operating end 192, and the transmission end 191 will drive the abutting portion 1811 to rotate around the positioning pin 120. Since both the abutting portion 1811 and the locking portion 182 are located on the same side of the positioning pin 120, the locking portion 182 will correspondingly rotate around the positioning pin 120 in the same direction as the abutting portion 1811. For example, both the locking portion 182 and the abutting portion 1811 rotate clockwise around the positioning pin 120 or both rotate counterclockwise around the positioning pin 120; on the rigid locking member 180, the abutting portion 1811 and the locking portion 182 may be respectively located on both sides of the positioning pin 120. A force is applied to the operating end 192, and the transmission end 191 will drive the abutting portion 1811 to rotate around the positioning pin 120. Since the abutting portion 1811 and the locking portion 182 are respectively located on both sides of the positioning pin 120, the locking portion 182 will correspondingly rotate around the positioning pin 120 in the opposite direction to the abutting portion 1811. For example, the abutting portion 1811 rotates clockwise around the positioning pin 120 while the locking portion 182 rotates counterclockwise around the positioning pin 120, or the abutting portion 1811 rotates counterclockwise around the positioning pin 120 while the locking portion 182 rotates clockwise around the positioning pin 120. Preferably, the abutting portion 1811 and the locking portion 182 may be respectively located on both sides of the positioning pin 120, which can further save space, make the structure of the female connector 10 more compact, and also be more suitable in size when applied to an ultrasonic catheter device.

[0048] A torsion member 121 may be provided on the positioning pin 120. The torsion member 121 may be a torsion spring or various other forms of torsion members. The torsion member 121 may be connected to the rigid locking member 180 and may apply a force to the rigid locking member 180 to keep the locking portion 182 in the locked position. When a force is applied to the operating end 192 such that the locking portion 182 rotates around the positioning pin 120 and leaves the locked position, the docking of the female connector 10 with the male connector is unlocked. At this time, the male connector can be repaired, cleaned, or replaced. After the docking of the female connector 10 with the male connector is released, the locking portion 182 will return to the locked position under the action of the torsion member 121. At this time, since the female connector 10 is not docked with the male connector, the female connector 10 is actually in an idle state. When the female connector 10 needs to be docked with the male connector again, a force can be applied to the operating end 192 such that the locking portion 182 rotates around the positioning pin 120 and leaves the locked position. At this time, the female connector 10 can be docked with the male connector. After the docking is completed, the force can be removed, and the locking portion 182 will reach the locked position under the action of the torsion member 121, completing the locking of the docking of the female connector 10 with the male connector. In fact, it can be considered that the torsion member 121 has a reset function on the locking portion 182 located in the locked position. The setting of the torsion member 121 can make the locking portion 182 located in the locked position more stable, which also makes the docking of such a female connector 10 more stable after being docked with the male connector. Moreover, with the torsion member 121 provided, only a force needs to be applied to the operating end 192 when the locking portion 182 leaves the locked position, and the operation of such a female connector 10 is simpler.

[0049] See Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the female housing 100 may include an upper housing 130 and a lower housing. The docking seat 150 may be provided on the lower housing. The upper housing and the lower housing may be connected together in various forms such as snap connection or threaded connection. A positioning seat 140 may be provided on the upper housing 130, and the positioning pin 120 may be provided on the positioning seat 140. The positioning seat 140 may serve as a bracket for the positioning pin 120, and the positioning seat 140 may be designed in any form according to needs. The positioning seat 140 can provide more stable support for the positioning pin 120. The setting of the positioning seat 140 can make the position of the positioning pin 120 more stable, thereby improving the stability of the overall device.

[0050] The positioning seat 140 may be provided with an opening 1412. The opening 1412 may extend into the positioning seat 140 to form a positioning groove 141. The positioning pin 120 may be inserted into the positioning groove 141 and be slidable within the positioning groove 141. The positioning groove 141 may communicate with the outside of the positioning seat 140 through the opening 1412. In this way, when the positioning pin 120 is installed on the positioning seat 140, it can enter the positioning groove 141 through the opening 1412, making the installation of the positioning pin 120 simpler and more convenient, and the structure of the overall device simpler.

[0051] Preferably, a positioning portion 1411 may be provided at one end of the positioning groove 141 far from the opening. The positioning portion 1411 may be an arc segment formed by the end of the positioning groove 141 far from the opening extending obliquely downward towards the lower housing. After the positioning pin 120 enters the positioning groove 141 through the opening 1412 and slides within the positioning groove 141 to the positioning portion 1411, it will remain in the positioning portion 1411 under the action of its own gravity. The setting of the positioning portion 1411 can make the positioning pin 120 more stable within the positioning groove 141, thereby improving the stability of the overall device, and the installation of the positioning pin 120 into such a positioning groove 141 is simpler and more convenient.

[0052] For specific reference Figure 4 As shown, the female housing 100 may include an upper housing 130. A communication port 131 may be provided on the upper housing 130. The operating member 190 may pass through the upper housing 130 through the communication port 131. The operating member 190 may be inserted into the communication port 131, and the communication port 131 may be designed in any form as needed. The operating member 190 can move up and down relative to the communication port 131 after passing through the communication port 131. Preferably, the opening size of the communication port 131 may match the size of the operating member 190, so as to prevent the internal environment of the accommodating cavity 110 from being polluted by the outside. The operating member 190 passes through the upper housing 130 through the communication port 131, making the structure of the overall device simpler and easier to implement.

[0053] For specific reference Figure 4, a recessed mounting cavity 132 may be formed on the outer side surface of the upper housing 130 facing the accommodating cavity 110. An operating end 192 may be connected with a button 1921, and at least a part of the button 1921 may be located within the mounting cavity 132. A force may be applied to the button 1921, and thus the force may be applied to the operating end 192. The arrangement of the button 1921 may make it simpler and more convenient to apply a force to the operating end 192. When a force is applied to the button 1921, the button 1921 will move, but no matter how the button 1921 moves, at least a part of the button 1921 may be located within the mounting cavity 132. For example, when the button 1921 is at the uppermost position relative to the upper housing, the lower edge of the button 1921 may still be located within the mounting cavity 132. In this way, the button 1921 of the female connector 10 is not likely to catch on external objects. For example, when such a female connector 10 is stored in a sterile bag, such a button 1921 will not catch on the sterile bag, and the female connector 10 is thus more easily placed into the sterile bag.

[0054] See Figure 5B , a limiting portion 193 may be provided on the operating member 190, and the edge of the communication port 131 may form a limit for the limiting portion 193 so that the limiting portion 193 can be retained within the accommodating cavity 110. The limiting portion 193 may be in the form of a square plate, a circular plate or various other forms, and the limiting portion 193 may not be able to pass through the communication port 131. The arrangement of the limiting portion 193 may make it difficult for the operating member 190 to fall off from the accommodating cavity 110. Exemplarily, on the inner side wall of the upper housing 130, an inner mounting cavity may be formed by recessing towards the outer side wall. When the operating member 190 is at the uppermost position relative to the upper housing 130, the limiting portion 193 may be located within the inner mounting cavity, which can save space within the accommodating cavity 110 and make the structure of the overall device more compact.

[0055] According to another aspect of the present invention, a male connector 20 is provided. The male connector 20 may be used to dock with any one of the female connectors 10 as described above. The male connector 20 may include a male housing 200, and the male housing 200 may have a male docking surface 210 and side surfaces. The male docking surface 210 may be the surface of the male housing 200 facing the female connector 10 in the docking direction. A locking groove 221 may be provided on the side surface. When the male connector 20 is docked with the female connector 10, the locking portion 182 may cooperate with the locking groove 221, and the position where the locking portion 182 and the locking groove 221 cooperate is the locking position. Such a male connector 20 has a simple structure, is easy to dock with the female connector 10, and after docking with the female connector 10, due to the cooperation of the locking portion 182 and the locking groove 221, the docking can be more stable.

[0056] Anti-slip patterns 222 may also be provided on the side surface. The male housing 200 may be in any form that is easy to hold, and the anti-slip patterns 222 may be provided at appropriate positions on the side surface of the male housing 200. The provision of the anti-slip patterns 222 can make the docking of the male connector 20 and the female connector 10 easier to operate.

[0057] According to another aspect of the present invention, a connector assembly is provided. The connector assembly may include any one of the female connectors 10 described above and any one of the male connectors 20 described above. Refer to Figure 2 and Figure 6 , a docking seat 150 may be provided in the accommodation cavity 110, a connection end seat 151 may be provided on the docking seat 150, a connection port 160 may be provided on the female housing 100, and the connection end seat 151 may communicate with the outside through the connection port 160. Due to the provision of the connection port 160, the docking seat 150 may be located in the accommodation cavity 110, and the connection port 160 may have a form that matches the size of the connection end seat 151. Thus, the docking seat 150 being located in the accommodation cavity 110 can avoid being contaminated by the external environment. Refer to Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Figure 9 , a docking head 230 may protrude outward in the docking direction on the male docking surface 210, and connection terminals 231 may be provided on the docking head 230. When the male connector 20 is docked with the female connector 10, the connection terminals 231 may be inserted into the connection end seat 151.

[0058] Among them, when the locking portion 182 moves into the locking groove 221, it can be in the locked position. When the locking portion 182 moves out of the locking groove 221, it can be in the unlocked position. When the locking portion 182 is in the locked position, the male connector 20 and the female connector 10 are docked in the docking direction, and the connection terminal 231 can be connected to the connection socket 151. When using such a connector assembly, when it is necessary to dock the female connector 10 and the male connector 20, a force can be applied to the operating end 192, and the transmission end 191 will drive the locking portion 182 to move. At this time, the male connector 20 and the female connector 10 can be docked. The specific operation is to keep the locking portion 182 in the unlocked position, and at the same time make the male docking surface 210 of the male connector 20 approach the female connector 10 in the docking direction, so that the connection terminal 231 is connected to the connection socket 151. Then, the force applied to the operating end 192 is removed, and the locking portion 182 will reach the locked position under the action of the torsion member 121; or a force opposite to the previous one can be applied to the operating end 192, so that the locking portion 182 can reach the locked position. The locking portion 182 that reaches the locked position will cooperate with the locking groove 221. For example, for the locking portion 182 in the form of a lock catch, the locking portion 182 will be snapped into the locking groove 221 to lock the docking of the male connector 20 and the female connector 10, making the docking of the male connector 20 and the female connector 10 more stable. For such a connector assembly, the docking of the male connector 20 and the female connector 10 can be more stable. Moreover, since the rigid locking member 180 has a certain rigidity, the movement of the locking portion 182 between the locked position and the unlocked position is achieved through the action of force, rather than relying on the elasticity of the material or structure itself. In this way, even after multiple insertions and extractions between the male connector 20 and the female connector 10, and at the same time the locking portion 182 switches between the locked position and the unlocked position multiple times, it will not affect the locking effect of the docking between the male connector 20 and the female connector 10 when the locking portion 182 and the locking groove 221 cooperate. It should be noted that the locking portion 182 cooperates with the locking groove 221 in the form of a lock catch. When the locking portion 182 in the form of a lock catch moves into the locking groove 221, it is in the locked position. Such a locking portion 182 and a locking groove 221 are only examples. In other embodiments not shown, the locking portion 182 and the locking groove 221 can also be in various other forms.

[0059] In one embodiment of the present invention, the connection terminal 231 may be a gold finger. One end of the gold finger away from the male docking surface 210 may have a notch, and there may be a spacing between the notch and the symmetry axis of the gold finger. A positioning insert bar may be provided in the connection terminal seat 151. When the connection terminal 231 is connected to the connection terminal seat 151, the positioning insert bar may be inserted into the notch. The notch may be a long strip-shaped notch, a triangular notch or a notch in any form. The meaning that there is a spacing between the notch and the symmetry axis of the gold finger is that when the gold finger is rotated 180°, the notch will be located on the left or right side of the gold finger respectively. The setting of the notch can make the gold finger have an asymmetric structure. The positioning insert bar may correspond to the notch. When the connection terminal 231 is connected to the connection terminal seat 151, the positioning insert bar may be inserted into the notch. However, if the male connector 20 and the female connector 10 are docked in the reverse direction, the positioning insert bar will not be able to be inserted into the notch. Such a connector assembly has an anti-fooling design, which can avoid the inability to achieve signal transmission due to the reverse docking direction of the male connector 20 and the female connector 10.

[0060] In one embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figure 7 , the male docking surface 210 may protrude along the docking direction to form a guiding portion 211. The guiding portion 211 may have a docking guiding surface 2111 and a side guiding surface 2112. The docking guiding surface 2111 may protrude and extend outward in the docking direction to form a docking head 230. The locking groove 221 may be provided on the side guiding surface 2112. The guiding portion 211 may guide the docking direction, making the docking of the male connector 20 and the female connector 10 simpler and more convenient. Moreover, the guiding portion 211 may be designed into an asymmetric structure. Exemplarily, the long axis of the docking head 230 is parallel to and has a spacing from the symmetry axis of the guiding portion 211. Specifically, the docking head 230 is not provided on the symmetry axis of the guiding portion 211, but is provided at a position deviating from the symmetry axis and close to the locking groove 221. Further, the guiding portion 211 is composed of two parts, one side close to the locking groove 221 and the other side away from the locking groove 221. The docking head 230 is provided at the fitting position of these two parts. The height of the side close to the locking groove 221 is less than the height of the side away from the locking groove 221. When the direction is inserted reversely, the male connector 20 and the female connector 10 cannot be smoothly docked, which can prompt the user to insert in the reverse direction, thus achieving an anti-fooling effect and avoiding the inability to achieve signal transmission due to the reverse docking direction of the male connector 20 and the female connector 10. Among them, the docking head 230 may be flat and long, and the long axis of the docking head 230 may be the connection line from the midpoint of one short side of the docking head 230 to the midpoint of the other short side.

[0061] Referring to Figure 2, the female housing 100 may have a female docking surface 170. Along the docking direction, a guiding groove 171 may be recessed in the female docking surface 170 towards the accommodating cavity 110. The connection port 160 may be formed at the bottom of the guiding groove 171. When the male connector 20 is docked with the female connector 10, the connection terminal 231 may pass through the connection port 160 to be connected to the connection socket 151 and the female docking surface 170 may be in contact with the male docking surface 210. In this way, after the connection terminal 231 is inserted into the connection port 160, the whole will be protected by the guiding groove 171, avoiding external contamination and damage. For the male docking surface 210, a guiding portion 211 may be formed thereon. The guiding portion 211 may have a form matching the guiding groove 171. When the male connector 20 is docked with the female connector 10 and the connection terminal 231 is inserted into the connection socket 151, the guiding portion 211 may also be inserted into the guiding groove 171. Preferably, when the male connector 20 is docked with the female connector 10, the female docking surface 170 may be in contact with the male docking surface 210, and the docking guiding surface 2111 may be in contact with the bottom of the guiding groove 171. For such a connector assembly, the stability when the male connector 20 is docked with the female connector 10 is better.

[0062] According to another aspect of the present invention, an ultrasonic catheter device is provided. The ultrasonic catheter device may include an ultrasonic system, a control handle, and any one of the connector assemblies as described above. The female connector 10 may be connected to the ultrasonic system, the male connector 20 may be connected to one end of the control handle, and a catheter may be connected to the other end of the control handle.

[0063] Among them, the ultrasonic system may be an ultrasonic device such as an intracardiac ultrasonic device, an intravascular ultrasonic device, an extracorporeal ultrasonic device, etc. that can control the transmission and reception of ultrasonic signals and has an ultrasonic image processing function. The control handle may be a handle capable of controlling the rotation, retraction, tip bending, etc. of the catheter. The control handle may communicate with the catheter through a connecting wire in the male connector 20 and the female connector 10, or may communicate with the catheter in a wireless manner.

[0064] Compared with the control handle and the catheter, the price of the ultrasonic system is usually more expensive, and the ultrasonic catheter device strictly requires a sterile environment during use. Therefore, the male connector 20 and the control handle and the catheter connected thereto may be disposable, while the female connector 10 and the ultrasonic system connected thereto need to be reused. With such a connector assembly provided on the ultrasonic catheter device, even if the female connector 10 is reused multiple times, it still does not affect the locking effect of the cooperation between the locking portion 182 and the locking groove 221 on the docking of the female connector 10 and the male connector 20, and the stability of the overall device is still very good.

[0065] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationships indicated by orientation terms such as "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "lateral", "vertical", "perpendicular", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", etc. are usually based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the drawings. These are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description. Without contrary explanation, these orientation terms do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention; the orientation terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contour of each component itself.

[0066] For ease of description, regional relative terms such as "above", "over", "on the upper surface", "upper", etc. may be used herein to describe the regional positional relationships of one or more components or features shown in the drawings with respect to other components or features. It should be understood that regional relative terms not only include the orientations of the components described in the drawings but also different orientations during use or operation. For example, if the components in the drawings are inverted as a whole, then a component "above" or "over" other components or features will include the situation where the component is "below" or "under" other components or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both the orientations of "above" and "below". In addition, these components or features can also be positioned at other different angles (such as rotated 90 degrees or other angles), and this document is intended to cover all such situations.

[0067] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms are also intended to include the plural forms. In addition, it should also be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, they specify the presence of features, steps, operations, components, assemblies, and / or combinations thereof.

[0068] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the description, claims, and above-mentioned drawings of the present invention are used to distinguish similar objects and do not necessarily describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such used data can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0069] The present invention has been described through the above embodiments. However, it should be understood that the above embodiments are only for illustrative and exemplary purposes, and are not intended to limit the present invention to the scope of the described embodiments. In addition, those skilled in the art can understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and more variations and modifications can be made according to the teachings of the present invention, and these variations and modifications all fall within the scope of protection required by the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalent scope.

Claims

1. A female connector for docking with a male connector, characterized in that Comprising: A mother housing, within which a receiving cavity is formed; A rigid locking member having a locking body located within the receiving cavity and a locking portion extending outside the receiving cavity; and An operating member having a transmission end located within the receiving cavity and abutting against the locking body and an operating end located outside the receiving cavity; Wherein, when a force is applied to the operating end, the transmission end drives the locking portion to move between a locked position and an unlocked position.

2. The female connector according to claim 1, wherein A positioning pin is provided on the mother housing, the positioning pin penetrates through the locking body, and the locking body is rotatable around the positioning pin.

3. The female connector according to claim 2, characterized in that, The locking body includes an abutting portion, the transmission end abuts against the abutting portion, and on the rigid locking member, the abutting portion and the locking portion are respectively located on both sides of the positioning pin.

4. The female connector according to claim 2, characterized in that, A torsion member is provided on the positioning pin, the torsion member is connected to the rigid locking member, and applies a force to the rigid locking member to keep the locking portion in the locked position.

5. The female connector according to claim 2, characterized in that, The mother housing includes an upper housing, a positioning seat is provided on the upper housing, and the positioning pin is provided on the positioning seat.

6. The female connector according to claim 5, wherein, An opening is provided on the positioning seat, the opening extends inward to form a positioning groove, the positioning pin penetrates through the positioning groove and is slidable within the positioning groove.

7. The female connector according to claim 1, characterized in that The mother housing includes an upper housing, a communication port is provided on the upper housing, and the operating member passes through the upper housing through the communication port.

8. The female connector according to claim 7, characterized in that, A placement cavity is recessed on the outer side surface of the upper housing towards the receiving cavity, the operating end is connected with a button, and at least a part of the button is located within the placement cavity.

9. The female connector according to claim 7, wherein, A limiting portion is provided on the operating member, and the edge of the communication port forms a limit for the limiting portion to keep the limiting portion within the receiving cavity.

10. A male connector for docking with the female connector according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, Comprising a male housing, the male housing has a male docking surface and a side surface, and a locking groove is provided on the side surface.

11. The male connector according to claim 10, characterized in that, Anti-slip patterns are also provided on the side surface.

12. A connector assembly, characterized in that, Comprising the mother connector according to any one of claims 1-9 and the male connector according to any one of claims 10-11, a docking seat is provided within the receiving cavity, a connection end seat is provided on the docking seat, a connection port is provided on the mother housing, the connection end seat is communicated with the outside through the connection port, the male docking surface protrudes outward in the docking direction to form a docking head, and connection terminals are provided on the docking head; Wherein, when the locking portion moves into the locking groove, it is in the locked position, and when the locking portion moves outside the locking groove, it is in the unlocked position. When the locking portion is in the locked position, the male connector and the mother connector are docked in the docking direction, and the connection terminals are connected to the connection end seat.

13. The connector assembly according to claim 12, wherein The male docking surface protrudes along the docking direction to form a guiding portion, the guiding portion has a docking guiding surface and a side guiding surface, the docking guiding surface protrudes outward and extends in the docking direction to form the docking head, and the locking groove is provided on the side guiding surface.

14. The connector assembly according to claim 13, wherein, The long axis of the docking head is parallel to the symmetry axis of the guiding portion and has a spacing.

15. The connector assembly according to claim 12, wherein, The mother housing has a mother docking surface. A guiding groove is formed by recessing the mother docking surface towards the accommodating cavity along the docking direction. The connection port is formed at the bottom of the guiding groove. When the male connector is docked with the female connector, the connection terminal passes through the connection port and is connected to the connection end seat, and the mother docking surface fits with the male docking surface.

16. The connector assembly according to claim 12, wherein, The connection terminal is a gold finger. One end of the gold finger away from the male docking surface has a notch. There is a spacing between the notch and the symmetry axis of the gold finger. A positioning insert bar is arranged in the connection end seat. When the connection terminal is connected to the connection end seat, the positioning insert bar is inserted into the notch.

17. The connector assembly according to claim 12, wherein, The long axis of the docking seat is parallel to the symmetry axis of the accommodating cavity and has a spacing therebetween.

18. An ultrasonic catheter device, characterized in that, It includes an ultrasonic system, a control handle, and a connector assembly as described in any one of claims 12 - 17. The female connector is connected to the ultrasonic system, the male connector is connected to one end of the control handle, and a catheter is connected to the other end of the control handle.

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