Devices for manipulating catheters

Abstract

An apparatus for manipulating conduits is proposed, comprising: a feeding device for holding first ends of a plurality of conduits to supply the plurality of conduits, wherein each of the plurality of conduits is oriented along a vertical axis; an orientation adjustment device disposed downstream of the feeding device for bending a second end of each conduit opposite to the first end such that the second end forms a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical axis; an adhesive applicator disposed downstream of the orientation adjustment device for applying adhesive to the second ends of the plurality of conduits; a feeding device disposed downstream of the adhesive applicator for moving the adhesive-applied conduits to an assembly station; and an assembly device disposed at the assembly station for assembling each conduit to a component to be connected. Using the apparatus of this invention, automated operation and assembly of conduits of different lengths are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the manipulation of catheters. Specifically, it relates to a device for manipulating catheters. Background Technology

[0002] In many scenarios, there are applications where catheters are assembled to components to be connected. This typically involves applying adhesive to one end of the catheter, and then connecting the adhesive-coated end of the catheter to the component (e.g., another catheter that receives the catheter), thus achieving assembly. This assembly of catheters is usually done manually.

[0003] For example, infusion sets, such as enteral nutrition infusion sets, are widely used to deliver nutrients to patients, such as those with impaired bowel function. Generally, such infusion sets include a head catheter, a connecting assembly, a cannula that can be looped around, and a tail assembly connected in sequence. One end of the head catheter has a drip end through which the nutrient solution is injected into the cannula, allowing it to move to the other components of the infusion set. The assembly of the various components of the infusion set typically requires a carrier to secure them. Assembling the head catheter on a carrier presents challenges in automatically aligning, transporting, and aligning multiple head catheters together.

[0004] In response to the above problems, there is a need for an improved device for manipulating catheters, such as a device for assembling the head catheter of an infusion set to a carrier. Utility Model Content

[0005] This utility model discloses a device for operating catheters, the device comprising:

[0006] A feeding device for holding the first ends of a plurality of conduits to supply the plurality of conduits, wherein each of the plurality of conduits is oriented along a vertical axis;

[0007] A directional adjustment device arranged downstream of the feeding device and used to bend the second end of each conduit opposite to the first end so that the second end is at a set angle relative to the vertical axis;

[0008] An adhesive applicator located downstream of the directional adjustment device and used for applying adhesive to the second ends of multiple conduits;

[0009] A feeding device located downstream of the adhesive coating unit and used to move multiple adhesive-coated conduits to the assembly station; and

[0010] An assembly device located at the assembly station and used to assemble each conduit to the component to be connected.

[0011] Among them, a stop block configured to selectively block multiple guide tubes may be provided at the end of the feeding device adjacent to the orientation adjustment device.

[0012] The orientation adjustment device may include:

[0013] A slide rail arranged parallel to the horizontal axis of the feeding device along its multiple supply conduits; and

[0014] Oriented adjustment grippers configured to slide relative to the slide rail along a horizontal axis and pivot about a lateral axis orthogonal to the horizontal and vertical axes.

[0015] The device may further include a guide member and a reference member, the guide member including a first surface facing the orientation adjustment gripper and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and the alignment member including at least one guide hole for guiding the end of the conduit through the first and second surfaces, and wherein the reference member is attached to the second surface of the guide member to cover the at least one guide hole.

[0016] The adhesive application device may include:

[0017] A catheter rotating member for gripping the end of each of a plurality of catheters and rotating that end; and

[0018] Adhesive application component placed adjacent to the catheter rotation component for applying adhesive to the outer periphery of the end during rotation of each of the plurality of catheters.

[0019] The adhesive application component may include multiple adhesive rods that can pivot between the adhesive storage device and the conduit rotation component.

[0020] The feeding device may include:

[0021] Multiple feeding grippers for gripping the first ends of multiple adhesive-coated conduits;

[0022] Vertical guide tube moving component for moving multiple guide tubes out of the feeding device along a vertical axis; and

[0023] A conduit horizontal movement component used to move multiple conduits to an assembly station.

[0024] Optionally, the device may further include a winding member configured to wind a plurality of catheters into a shape and orientation suitable for assembly onto a carrier. The winding member may include a plurality of winding grippers capable of pivoting to wind the plurality of catheters.

[0025] The assembly device may include multiple assembly grippers capable of horizontal and vertical movement. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1A A perspective view of the infusion device is shown;

[0027] Figure 1B A perspective view of the infusion set's catheter is shown;

[0028] Figure 2A A perspective view of the vehicle to which the infusion unit will be assembled is shown;

[0029] Figure 2B Showing according to Figure 1A The infusion set is assembled according to Figure 2A A top-down view of the vehicle;

[0030] Figure 3 A perspective view of a device for operating a catheter according to the present invention is shown;

[0031] Figure 4A A perspective view showing a portion of the feeding device;

[0032] Figure 4B A top view showing a portion of the feeding device;

[0033] Figure 4C A perspective view of the stop attached to the feeding device is shown;

[0034] Figure 5A A perspective view of the orientation adjustment device is shown;

[0035] Figure 5B A side view of the orientation adjustment device is shown;

[0036] Figure 6 A perspective view of the alignment member for the end of the catheter and the alignment detection member is shown;

[0037] Figure 7A A side view of the adhesive application apparatus is shown;

[0038] Figure 7B A perspective view of the rotating conduit component of the adhesive application device is shown;

[0039] Figure 7C A perspective view of the adhesive application component of the adhesive applicator is shown;

[0040] Figure 8 A perspective view of the feeding device is shown;

[0041] Figure 9 A perspective view showing the winding component and assembly device; and

[0042] Figure 10 A perspective view of the assembly device is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0043] Figure 1A A perspective view of the infusion device is shown. Figure 1B A perspective view of the catheters of an infusion set is shown. The infusion set shown is, for example, an enteral nutrition infusion set. As shown, the infusion set 1 includes the following components: head catheters (hereinafter also simply referred to as catheters) 10, 10'; a connecting assembly 20; a catheter 30 that can be looped around; and a tail assembly 40. These components are connected in sequence so that nutrients can enter the infusion set 1 through the catheters 10, 10', be delivered through the components of the infusion set 1, and finally be output through the tail assembly 40. The catheters 10, 10' include a first end 11, 11' with a drip portion and a second end 12 opposite to the first end 11, 11'. The second end 12 is intended to be received by a receiving port (first receiving port) 21 of the connecting assembly 20, so that the catheters 10, 10' are in communication with the connecting assembly 20. The other receiving port (second receiving port) 22 of the connecting assembly 20 is intended to receive the catheter 30 that can be looped around. The tail assembly 40 may be in the form of a tail conduit with a valve 41 at one end, and one end of the conduit 30 is connected to the tail assembly 40 through the valve 41. Since this application mainly relates to the assembly of conduits 10 and 10', details of other components of the infusion set 1 that are not related to conduits 10 and 10' and their assembly will not be described herein.

[0044] Figure 2A A perspective view of the vehicle to which the infusion unit will be assembled is shown. Figure 2B Showing according to Figure 1A The infusion set is assembled according to Figure 2A A top view of the carrier. As shown, the carrier 100 includes a base plate 110 and a mounting bracket located on one surface of the base plate 110 for fixing... Figure 1A The infusion unit 1 has multiple fixing structures for its various components. Additionally, the carrier 100 may include multiple mounting holes 111 penetrating the base plate 110, and the carrier 100 can be fixed to a conveyor belt (e.g., a linked conveyor belt) of the production line for the infusion unit 1 using fasteners (e.g., screws) passing through the mounting holes 111. Thus, the carrier 100 can move with the conveyor belt, and the various components of the infusion unit can be sequentially assembled onto the carrier 100, ultimately resulting in... Figure 2B The structure shown. Among them, the plurality of fixing structures include: an orientation structure 120 configured to receive the connection assembly 20 to define the orientation of the connection assembly 20 relative to the substrate 110; a plurality of groove structures 130 configured to accommodate a conduit 30 that can be surrounded in a loop; and a clamping structure 140 configured to clamp the valve 41 of the tail assembly 40.

[0045] Regarding the assembly of conduits 10 and 10', as previously described, the second end 12 of conduits 10 and 10', opposite to the first ends 11 and 10', is intended to be received by the first receiving port 21 of the connecting assembly 20. The placement of the first ends 11 and 11' of conduits 10 and 10' on the carrier 100 depends on the specifications of the conduits 10 and 10' (specifically, their length) and there are two possibilities. Figure 2B As shown, two specifications of conduits 10 and 10' are shown, wherein conduit 10 corresponds to the case of a longer conduit, in which the second end 12 of conduit 10, opposite to the first end 11, is kept to be received by the first receiving port 21 of the connecting assembly 20, and the portion of conduit 10 between the first end 11 and the second end 12 is wound and fixed by a plurality of groove structures 130. Figure 2B The carrier 100 may include a vertical plate 150 protruding from the surface of the substrate 110 and, for example, fixed to the side edges of a plurality of adjacent slot structures 130 of the substrate 110. The vertical plate 150 prevents the wound conduit 10 from extending beyond the side edges of the substrate 110. On the other hand, the conduit 10' corresponds to the case where the conduit is shorter. In this case, the second end 12 of the conduit 10' remains received by the first receiving port 21 of the connecting assembly 20, while the first end 11' of the conduit 10' extends to the outside of the substrate 110 in the direction extending from the first receiving port 21 of the connecting assembly 20.

[0046] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Also shown is a conduit limiting structure 160 fixed to the substrate 110, the conduit limiting structure 160 including a groove structure to prevent the first ends 11, 11' of the conduits 10, 10' from extending out of the side edge of the substrate 110.

[0047] also, Figure 2A and Figure 2B The carrier 100 is also shown to include at least one inspection hole 170 through the substrate 110, corresponding to the positions of the first receiving port 21 and the second receiving port 22 of the connecting assembly 20. The presence of at least one inspection hole 170 indicates that the number of inspection holes 170 can be one or more. Figure 2A and Figure 2BIn one embodiment, the at least one inspection hole 170 is two inspection holes 170: an inspection hole 170a located below the first receiving port 21 of the connecting component 20 and an inspection hole 170b located below the second receiving port 22 of the connecting component 20. However, these two inspection holes 170a and 170b can also be combined into one inspection hole. When the substrate 110 of the carrier 100 is fixed on the conveyor belt (e.g., a linked conveyor belt) of the production line, at least one light source can be arranged below the substrate 110 to illuminate at least one inspection hole 170. The light can pass through the at least one inspection hole 170 and be incident above the substrate 110. At least one visual inspection device (e.g., a camera) is arranged above the substrate 110 to capture images including the first receiving port 21 and the second receiving port 22 of the connecting component 20. Based on the captured images, it can be determined whether the first receiving port 21 of the connecting component 20 is aligned and correctly receives the conduit 10 or 10', and whether the second receiving port 22 of the connecting component 20 is aligned and correctly receives the conduit 30 that can be looped around. This allows for continuous inspection on the production line of the connection between the connecting assembly 20 and the conduit 10 or 10' and the conduit 30 on each carrier 100.

[0048] Since this application mainly relates to the assembly of catheters 10 and 10', details of other structures of the carrier 100 that are not related to catheters 10 and 10' and their assembly will not be described herein.

[0049] In general, in order to assemble the conduit 10 or 10' on the carrier 100, it is necessary to ensure that the second end 12 of the conduit 10 or 10' is aligned with the first receiving port 21 of the connecting assembly 20, and on the other hand, it is necessary to determine whether the conduit needs to be wound depending on its length. If it needs to be wound, the wound portion also needs to be fixed.

[0050] In order to achieve automatic assembly of the aforementioned conduits 10 and 10' on the production line, this utility model proposes a device for operating the conduits. Figure 3 A perspective view of a device for operating a catheter according to the present invention is shown. Figure 3 As shown, the device 1000 includes:

[0051] Feeding device 1100 for holding the first ends 11, 11' of a plurality of conduits 10, 10' to supply the plurality of conduits 10, 10', wherein each of the plurality of conduits 10, 10' is oriented along the vertical axis Z;

[0052] A directional adjustment device 1200 is arranged downstream of the feeding device 1100 and is used to bend the second end 12 of each conduit 10, 10' opposite to the first end 11, 11' so that the second end 12 is at a set angle relative to the vertical axis Z.

[0053] An adhesive applicator 1300 is arranged downstream of the directional adjustment device 1200 and is used to apply adhesive to the second ends 12 of a plurality of conduits 10, 10'.

[0054] A feeding device 1400, located downstream of the adhesive application unit 1300, for moving the adhesive-coated conduits 10, 10' to the assembly station; and

[0055] An assembly device 1500 is arranged at the assembly station and is used to assemble each conduit 10, 10' to the component to be connected.

[0056] The details of each component of the device 1000 are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the orientation of each component in the drawings is referenced to the XYZ coordinate system, where X represents the horizontal axis, i.e., the axis of the conduits 10 and 10' is parallel to the axis on which they are fed; Y represents the lateral axis perpendicular to the X axis in the horizontal plane; and Z represents the vertical axis orthogonal to the horizontal axis X and the lateral axis Y.

[0057] It should be noted that this article describes the device 1000 according to the present invention using the example of assembling the head catheter of the infusion set to the carrier, but the device is not limited to this application scenario, but can be applied to any catheter with similar operational requirements.

[0058] Figure 4A and Figure 4B A perspective view and a top view of a portion of the feeding device 1100 are shown, respectively. As shown, the feeding device 1100 includes at least one feeding track 1110, each feeding track 1110 including two track baffles 1111, 1112. The two track baffles 1111, 1112 are arranged parallel to each other along the horizontal axis X and define a predetermined gap between them, such that the first ends 11, 11' (e.g., drip portions) of the conduits 10, 10' are held on the two track baffles 1111, 1112 in the gap between the two track baffles 1111, 1112, while the second ends 12 of the conduits 10, 10' opposite to the first ends 11, 11' hang down naturally under the action of gravity.

[0059] The gap between the two track baffles 1111 and 1112 defines the inlet end 1113 and the outlet end 1114 of the feeding track 1110, so that multiple conduits 10 and 10' can be fed sequentially from the inlet end 1113, for example by manual feeding, such that each conduit 10 and 10' is driven while its first ends 11 and 11' are stuck in the gap between the two track baffles 1111 and 1112, thereby traveling sequentially from the inlet end 1113 to the outlet end 1114. Figure 4 shows a drive element 1120, which is, for example, a vibrating element, which applies a vibration force to the two track baffles 1111 and 1112, thereby causing the conduits 10 and 10' to travel from the inlet end 1113 to the outlet end 1114. That is, the feeding device 1100 can be implemented as a flat vibration feeding device.

[0060] Figure 4A and Figure 4B Two feed tracks 1110a and 1110b are shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The feed device 1100 may include one or more feed tracks 1110. Figure 3 Six feeding tracks are shown. In this case, each feeding track supplies conduits sequentially, so that six conduits can exist at the outlet end of the six feeding tracks at the same time. This allows the six conduits to be processed simultaneously, thereby improving the assembly efficiency of the conduits.

[0061] Figure 4C A perspective view of the stop attached to the feeding device is shown. As shown, a stop 1115 may be provided at the end of the feeding device 1100 adjacent to the orientation adjustment device 1200, specifically at the outlet end 1114 of each feeding track 1110, so that the conduits 10, 10' can be stopped by the stop 1115 once they reach the outlet end 1114 of the feeding track 1110. This facilitates the performance of the orientation adjustment and adhesive application operations, which will be described below, on the second end 12 of the conduits 10, 10' while the first ends 11, 11' of the conduits 10, 10' remain stationary. It should be noted that the stop 1115 is configured to selectively block the multiple conduits 10, 10' supplied to the end of the feeding device 1100. The stop 1115 is not always fixed to the feeding device 1100, but is movable to prevent the conduits 10, 10' from moving out of the outlet end 1114 of the feeding track 1110 during the orientation adjustment and gluing operations described below, and to allow the conduits 10, 10' to move out of the outlet end 1114 of the feeding track 1110 after the orientation adjustment and gluing operations described below are completed, so as to transfer the conduits 10, 10' to a further processing station. Furthermore, after one conduit 10, 10' has moved out of the outlet end 1114 of the feeding track 1110, the stop 1115 can be moved to block the next conduit 10, 10'.

[0062] Figure 5A A perspective view of the orientation adjustment device 1200 is shown. Figure 5B A side view of the orientation adjustment device 1200 is shown. See also Figure 5A and Figure 5B The orientation adjustment device 1200 includes: a slide rail 1210 arranged parallel to the horizontal axis X of the feeding device 1100 along which it supplies a plurality of conduits 10, 10'; and an orientation adjustment gripper 1220 configured to slide relative to the slide rail 1210 along the horizontal axis X and to pivot about a lateral axis Y orthogonal to the horizontal axis X and the vertical axis Z. The orientation adjustment gripper 1220 includes a gripping portion 1221 adapted to grip the second end 12 of each conduit 10, 10'.

[0063] Thus, the orientation adjustment gripper 1220 can slide relative to the slide rail 1210 along the horizontal axis X while remaining horizontal (placed parallel to the X-axis), so that the gripping part 1221 of the orientation adjustment gripper 1220 can grip the second end 12 of the conduits 10, 10'.

[0064] Next, while the second ends 12 of the guide tubes 10 and 10' remain gripped by the gripping part 1221 of the directional adjustment gripper 1220 (at this time, the first ends 11 and 11' of the guide tubes 10 and 10' can be stopped and kept stationary by the stop block 1115 at the outlet end 1114 of the feed track 1110), the directional adjustment gripper 1220 pivots about the lateral axis Y, for example, pivoting 90 degrees so that the directional adjustment gripper 1220 pivots from parallel to the horizontal axis X to parallel to the vertical axis Z. Thus, as Figure 5A and Figure 5B As shown, the second end 12 of catheters 10 and 10' is bent from parallel to the vertical axis Z to parallel to the horizontal axis X, and catheters 10 and 10' are adjusted to be generally "L" shaped.

[0065] Then, with the second ends 12 of the catheters 10 and 10' held parallel to the horizontal axis X and gripped by the gripping part 1221 of the orientation adjustment gripper 1230, the orientation adjustment gripper 1220 can slide along the slide rail 1210 parallel to the horizontal axis X to facilitate subsequent alignment operations of the second ends 12 of the different catheters 10 and 10' that are gripped at the same time.

[0066] Figure 5A Six directional adjustment grippers 1220 are shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The number of directional adjustment grippers 1220 may correspond to the number of feeding tracks 1110 of the feeding device 1100, such that the second end 12 of each conduit 10, 10' supplied to the outlet end 1114 of each feeding track 1110 can be gripped by the gripping part 1221 of the corresponding directional adjustment gripper 1220.

[0067] It should be noted that Figure 5A The diagram shows that some of the orientation adjustment jaws 1220 have not yet been flipped, while another part of the orientation adjustment jaws 1220 have been flipped. However, in actual use, multiple orientation adjustment jaws 1220 can be flipped simultaneously, which is beneficial for subsequent simultaneous glue application operations.

[0068] Figure 5A The directional adjustment device 1200 is also shown to include a gripper fixing member 1230, a slide rail fixing member 1240, and a gripper pivoting member 1250. Each directional adjustment gripper 1220 is pivotally fixed to the gripper fixing member 1230 via the gripper pivoting member 1250, which is attached to the slide rail fixing member 1240 fixed to the slide rail 1210. The gripper fixing member 1230 can be arranged at an angle of 45° relative to the slide rail 1210, so that when the orientation adjustment gripper 1220 is placed parallel to the horizontal axis X, the gripping part 1221 of the orientation adjustment gripper 1220 is adapted to grip the second end 12 of the conduits 10, 10'. When the orientation adjustment gripper 1220 is pivoted 90° by means of the gripper pivoting member 1250 to be placed parallel to the vertical axis Z, the second end 12 of the conduits 10, 10' is bent to be parallel to the horizontal axis X, so as to be suitable for subsequent glue application operations.

[0069] The device 1000 according to this utility model may optionally include an alignment component and an alignment detection component. Figure 6 A perspective view of the alignment component and the alignment detection component is shown. Figure 6 As shown, the alignment member 1260 includes a guide member 1270 and a reference member 1280. The guide member 1270 includes a first surface 1271 intended to face the orientation adjustment gripper 1220 and a second surface 1272 opposite to the first surface 1271. The alignment member 1270 also includes at least one guide hole 1273 penetrating the first surface 1271 and the second surface 1272 for guiding the second ends 12 of the conduits 10, 10'.

[0070] The reference member 1280 may be formed in the form of a plate having a profile that generally corresponds to the guide member 1270 and the alignment detection member 1290. Figure 6 The guide member 1270 and the reference member 1280 are shown separately to clearly show the details of the guide member 1270, but in use, the reference member 1280 is intended to be attached to the second surface 1272 of the guide member 1270 to cover at least one guide hole 1273 of the guide member 1270.

[0071] Since the second ends 12 of multiple catheters 10, 10' are each gripped by the gripping part 1221 of the corresponding orientation adjustment claw 1220, the second ends 12 of different catheters 10, 10' may not be aligned with each other, which is not conducive to the simultaneous application of adhesive to the second ends 12 of different catheters 10, 10' that are gripped at the same time. Therefore, it is necessary to align the second ends 12 of different catheters 10, 10' that are gripped at the same time before applying adhesive. Figure 6 The alignment member 1260 shown can achieve this purpose.

[0072] Specifically, with the second ends 12 of the multiple conduits 10, 10' bent parallel to the horizontal axis X and gripped by the gripping part 1221 of the corresponding directional adjustment gripper 1220, the directional adjustment gripper 1220 slides along the slide rail 1210 parallel to the horizontal axis X, causing the second ends 12 of the multiple conduits 10, 10' to insert into at least one guide hole 1273 of the corresponding guide member 1270. As the directional adjustment gripper 1220 continues to slide along the slide rail 1210 parallel to the horizontal axis X, the second ends 12 of the multiple conduits 10, 10' move to contact the reference member 1280 and are blocked by the reference member 1280. By setting the reference members 1280 corresponding to the multiple directional adjustment grippers 1220 to be aligned with each other, the second ends 12 of the multiple conduits 10, 10' that are gripped simultaneously after the above process are aligned with each other, thereby facilitating the subsequent application of adhesive to the second ends 12 of the multiple conduits 10, 10' that are gripped simultaneously.

[0073] To detect whether the second ends 12 of the plurality of catheters 10, 10' are correctly guided through at least one guide hole 1273 of the corresponding guide member 1270 and whether they are aligned with each other, an alignment detection member 1290 may be arranged above each guide member 1270, such as... Figure 6 As shown. The alignment detection component 1290 is, for example, an optical detection component, and can sense the second ends 12 of the catheters 10, 10', and can determine whether the second ends 12 of the multiple catheters 10, 10' are aligned with each other based on the sensed signal (such as an image).

[0074] Figure 7A A side view of the adhesive application apparatus is shown. Figure 7B A perspective view of the rotating conduit component of the adhesive applicator is shown. Figure 7C A perspective view of the adhesive application component of the adhesive applicator is shown. Figures 7A to 7CAs shown, the adhesive applicator 1300 includes a conduit rotating member 1310 for gripping and rotating the second end 12 of each of the plurality of conduits 10, 10', and an adhesive application member 1320 disposed adjacent to the conduit rotating member 1310 for applying adhesive to the periphery of the second end 12 of each of the plurality of conduits 10, 10' during the rotation of the second end 12 of each of the plurality of conduits 10, 10'.

[0075] Specifically, the catheter rotation member 1310 includes a plurality of rotatable grippers 1311, each of which is attached to a rotatable shaft 1312 (e.g., rotatable by a motor drive). When the second ends 12 of the plurality of catheters 10, 10' have been oriented and aligned as described above, the second ends 12 of these catheters 10, 10' can be simultaneously gripped by the corresponding plurality of rotatable grippers 1311 to facilitate the adhesive application member 1320 in performing an adhesive application operation.

[0076] The adhesive application member 1320 includes a plurality of adhesive rods 1322 pivotable between an adhesive storage device 1321 and a conduit rotation member 1310, specifically a plurality of rotatable grippers 1311. Figure 7C The adhesive stick 1322 is shown both in the adhesive storage device 1321 and pivoted to the plurality of rotatable jaws 1311. However, it should be noted that the adhesive stick 1322 is actually in only one state at any given time. When the plurality of adhesive sticks 1322 pivot to the adhesive storage device 1321, the surfaces of the plurality of adhesive sticks 1322 are coated with adhesive. When the plurality of adhesive sticks 1322 pivot to the plurality of rotatable jaws 1311, the adhesive stick 1322 applies the adhesive on its surface evenly to the entire outer peripheral surface of the second ends 12 of the plurality of conduits 10, 10' by contacting the second ends 12 of the plurality of conduits 10, 10' that rotate with the rotatable jaws 1311 through the rotation of the rotatable jaws 1311. This achieves uniform and complete adhesive coating on the outer peripheral surfaces of the second ends 12 of the multiple conduits 10, 10', which facilitates the subsequent assembly of the second ends 12 of the multiple conduits 10, 10' onto the carrier 100, i.e., fixing them to the first receiving port 21 of the connecting assembly 20.

[0077] Figure 8 A perspective view of the feeding device is shown. The feeding device 1400 is used to move multiple adhesive-coated conduits 10, 10' to the assembly station. Figure 8As shown, the feeding device 1400 includes a plurality of feeding grippers 1410 for gripping the first ends 11, 11' opposite to the second end 12 of the glued conduits 10, 10'; a conduit vertical moving member 1420 for moving the plurality of conduits 10, 10' out of the feeding device 1100 along the vertical axis Z; and a conduit horizontal moving member 1430 for moving the plurality of conduits 10, 10' to the assembly station.

[0078] Multiple feeding grippers 1410 are positioned above the gaps between multiple pairs of track baffles 1111 and 1112 of the feeding device 1100, allowing them to grip the first ends 11 and 11' of the multiple conduits 10 and 10' after the first ends 11 and 11' are blocked by the corresponding stops 1115 and the second ends 12 of the multiple conduits 10 and 10' are coated with adhesive. Then, the vertical conduit moving member 1420 can move the multiple conduits 10 and 10' out of the feeding device 1100 along the vertical axis Z while holding the first ends 11 and 11'. The multiple conduits 10 and 10' removed from the feeding device 1100 can then be moved to the assembly station via the horizontal conduit moving member 1430, where the next set of multiple conduits 10 and 10' can be blocked by the corresponding stops 1115 for orientation adjustment and adhesive application.

[0079] The catheter vertical movement member 1420 and the catheter horizontal movement member 1430 can be common movement members, and therefore will not be described in detail herein. The catheter horizontal movement member 1430 may have degrees of freedom to move along the horizontal axis X and the lateral axis Y.

[0080] As previously mentioned, the conduits 10 and 10' may have different length specifications. When they are longer, the second end 12 of the conduit 10 is received by the first receiving port 21 of the connecting assembly 20, and the portion of the conduit 10 between the first end 11 and the second end 12 needs to be wound and fixed by a plurality of groove structures 130 on the substrate 110 of the carrier 100. When they are shorter, the conduit 10' does not need to be wound, its second end 12 is received by the first receiving port 21 of the connecting assembly 20, and its first end 11' extends to the outside of the substrate 110 in the direction extending from the first receiving port 21 of the connecting assembly 20.

[0081] In order to wind up the multiple conduits 10, 10' when needed, the device 1000 according to the present invention may further include a winding member. Figure 9A perspective view of the winding member is shown. The winding member 1600 is configured to wind a plurality of conduits 10, 10' into a shape and orientation suitable for assembly to a component (such as a carrier) to which they are to be attached. The winding member 1600 includes a plurality of pivotable winding jaws 1610 capable of gripping and winding the conduits 10, 10', wherein the number of winding jaws 1610 is the same as the number of conduits 10, 10' simultaneously coated and intended to be assembled simultaneously, such as six. Depending on the length specifications of the plurality of conduits 10, 10', the winding jaws 1610 can be configured to selectively wind longer conduits into a shape suitable for assembly onto the carrier 100. Furthermore, regardless of whether the multiple conduits 10, 10' need to be wound by the winding gripper 1610, the winding gripper 1610 can adjust the orientation of the multiple conduits 10, 10' by means of its pivoting, so that the second ends 12 of the multiple conduits 10, 10' are respectively aligned with the components to be connected, such as the first receiving port 21 of the connecting assembly 20 on the corresponding carrier 100, thereby facilitating the insertion of the second ends 12 of the multiple conduits 10, 10' into the first receiving port 21 of the connecting assembly 20 on the corresponding carrier 100 to complete the assembly of the conduits 10, 10'.

[0082] The function of the winding gripper 1610 is essentially similar to that of the aforementioned orientation adjustment gripper 1220, both being pivotable grippers. The structural details of the winding gripper 1610 will not be described in detail here.

[0083] Figure 9 The assembly apparatus is also shown. Figure 10 A perspective view of the individual assembly unit is shown. (e.g.) Figure 10 As shown, the assembly device 1500 may include a plurality of assembly grippers 1510 capable of horizontal and vertical movement. These assembly grippers 1510 can grasp and translate a plurality of conduits 10, 10', causing the second ends 12 of the plurality of conduits 10, 10' to be aligned and inserted into the first receiving ports 21 of the connecting assemblies 20 on the corresponding carrier 100. Thus, adhesive applied to the surfaces of the second ends 12 of the plurality of conduits 10, 10' can fix the second ends 12 of the plurality of conduits 10, 10' to the first receiving ports 21 of the connecting assemblies 20 on the corresponding carrier 100, thereby achieving the assembly of the conduits 10, 10' to the carrier 100. It should be noted that, in addition to being configured to be translationally movable, the assembly device 1500 may also be further configured to be movable along the vertical axis Z to achieve precise alignment between the second ends 12 of the plurality of conduits 10, 10' and the first receiving ports 21 of the connecting assemblies 20 on the corresponding carrier 100.

[0084] Figure 10It is also shown that multiple assembly grippers 1510 are fixed to the same assembly gripper fixing member 1520. In this way, the multiple assembly grippers 1510 can move synchronously, so that the second ends 12 of multiple conduits 10, 10' can be aligned simultaneously with the first receiving port 21 of the connection component 20 on the corresponding carrier 100, which can improve the assembly efficiency of conduits to carrier.

[0085] Additionally, as mentioned earlier, in cases where the catheter is longer (corresponding to...) Figure 2B The conduit 10 in the carrier 100 has its portion between the first end 11 and the second end 12 wound up and intended to be secured by a plurality of groove structures 130 on the substrate 110 of the carrier 100, and optionally the conduit 10 is prevented from extending beyond the side edge of the substrate 110 by means of a vertical plate 150. In this case, the assembly device 1500, which is capable of translational and vertical movement, can not only secure the second ends 12 of the plurality of conduits 10, 10' to the first receiving ports 21 of the corresponding connecting components 20 on the carrier 100, but also accommodate the portion of the conduit wound between the first end 11 and the second end 12 in the plurality of groove structures 130 on the substrate 110 of the carrier 100, and position the conduit on the side of the vertical plate 150 facing the substrate 110 of the carrier 100 to prevent the conduit from extending beyond the side edge of the substrate 110.

[0086] The above description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, describes an apparatus for operating catheters according to the present invention. This apparatus can be used to assemble the head catheter of an infusion set onto a carrier, thereby achieving automated assembly of the head catheter for assembling an infusion set. It can assemble multiple head catheters simultaneously, improving the assembly efficiency of the head catheters. It is applicable to assembling head catheters with different length specifications and improves the assembly accuracy.

[0087] It should be noted that although the device according to the present invention is described herein with the example of operating and assembling the head catheter of the infusion set, the device is not limited to this application, but can be applied to any field where the operation of the catheter as described herein is required.

[0088] The foregoing detailed description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of feasible but non-limiting embodiments of the device for operating catheters according to the present invention. Modifications and additions to the technology and structure, as well as recombinations of features in the various embodiments, should be considered within the scope of the present invention by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as set forth in the following claims. Therefore, such modifications and additions conceivable under the teachings of the present invention should be considered part of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the following appended claims and includes equivalent technologies known at the filing date of the present invention and equivalent technologies not yet foreseen.

Claims

1. A device for manipulating catheters, characterized in that, The device (1000) includes: A feeding device (1100) for holding the first ends (11, 11') of a plurality of conduits (10, 10') to supply the plurality of conduits (10, 10'), wherein each of the plurality of conduits (10, 10') is oriented along a vertical axis (Z); A directional adjustment device (1200) is arranged downstream of the feeding device (1100) and is used to bend the second end (12) of each conduit (10, 10') opposite to the first end (11, 11') so that the second end (12) is at a set angle relative to the vertical axis (Z). An adhesive applicator (1300) is arranged downstream of the orientation adjustment device (1200) and is used to apply adhesive to the second end (12) of the plurality of conduits (10, 10'). A feeding device (1400) disposed downstream of the adhesive applicator (1300) and used to move the adhesive-coated plurality of conduits (10, 10') to the assembly station; and An assembly device (1500) is arranged at the assembly station and is used to assemble each conduit (10, 10') to the component to be connected.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A stop (1115) is provided at the end of the feeding device (1100) adjacent to the orientation adjustment device (1200), which is configured to selectively block the plurality of conduits (10, 10').

3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The orientation adjustment device (1200) includes: A slide rail (1210) arranged parallel to the feeding device (1100) along the horizontal axis (X) of which it supplies the plurality of conduits (10, 10'); and Orientation adjustment gripper (1220) configured to slide relative to the slide rail (1210) along the horizontal axis (X) and to pivot about a lateral axis (Y) orthogonal to the horizontal axis (X) and the vertical axis (Z).

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The device (1000) further includes a guide member (1270) and a reference member (1280). The guide member (1270) includes a first surface (1271) facing the orientation adjustment gripper (1220) and a second surface (1272) opposite to the first surface (1271), and the guide member (1270) includes at least one guide hole (1273) through the first surface (1271) and the second surface (1272) for guiding a second end (12) of the conduit (10, 10'), and the reference member (1280) is attached to the second surface (1272) of the guide member (1270) to cover the at least one guide hole (1273).

5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The adhesive application device (1300) includes: A catheter rotation member (1310) for gripping the second end (12) of each of the plurality of catheters (10, 10') and rotating the second end (12); and Adhesive application member (1320) is placed adjacent to the catheter rotation member (1310) for applying adhesive to the outer periphery of the second end (12) of each of the plurality of catheters (10, 10') during rotation.

6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The adhesive application member (1320) includes a plurality of adhesive rods (1322) that are pivotable between the adhesive storage device (1321) and the conduit rotation member (1310).

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The feeding device (1400) includes: Multiple feeding jaws (1410) for gripping the first end (11, 11') of multiple adhesive-coated conduits (10, 10'). A guide tube vertical moving member (1420) for moving the plurality of guide tubes (10, 10') out of the feeding device (1100) along the vertical axis (Z); and A catheter horizontal movement component (1430) for moving the plurality of catheters (10, 10') to the assembly station.

8. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The device (1000) further includes a winding member (1600) configured to wind the plurality of conduits (10, 10') into a shape and orientation suitable for assembly onto a carrier (100).

9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The winding member (1600) includes a plurality of winding jaws (1610) capable of pivoting to wind the plurality of conduits (10, 10').

10. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The assembly device (1500) includes a plurality of assembly grippers (1510) capable of horizontal and vertical movement.

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