Aseptic connector

Abstract

To provide an aseptic connector with improved operability.SOLUTION: Each connector part 10 of an aseptic connector includes: a connector body 1 having an opening part of a flow path on an opposite surface 11; a membrane member 2 closing the opening part; and a tabular tab member 3 which is connected to the membrane member 2 and in which a first surface 3a rotates from a closed posture in which it is housed on the opposite surface 11 in a mode facing the opposite surface 11 to an open posture in which it projects outside the connector body 1 and extends. The tab member 3 has: a ring part 31 into which a user's finger is inserted; and a shaft-like part 32 protruding from one side surface 3c of the tab member to become a rotary shaft. The connector body 1 has a bearing part 14 bearing the shaft-like part 32 inserted in a long guide hole 14a. A position where the shaft-like part 32 is supported in an open posture is vertically deviated from the open posture, so that the first surface 3a of the tab member 3 is adjusted to be located at the same height as a virtual boundary surface between two connector parts 10 in a mutual close contact when the two connector parts 10 are coupled.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sterile connector which is composed of two connector parts and which enables fluid flow between the two connector parts by joining the two connector parts while suppressing the intrusion of germs from the outside. [Background technology]

[0002] In the field of handling pharmaceuticals, connectors have been conventionally known for connecting pipes through which fluids such as drug solutions flow, containers containing such fluids, devices for processing such fluids, etc., to allow fluids to flow between them. Such connectors are composed of two connector parts, and the flow of fluid between these two connector parts is achieved by joining the two connector parts.

[0003] Among these connectors, there are those in which the two connector parts are joined while preventing the intrusion of germs from the outside, and these are called aseptic connectors. Among the aseptic connectors, there is known a so-called film-type aseptic connector in which the two connector parts are brought into close contact with each other while the openings of the fluid flow paths in each connector part are covered with a membrane (film), and the fluid is allowed to flow by simultaneously pulling out the two membranes of these connector parts (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). In this type of aseptic connector, even in a joined state, the fluid flow path is blocked from the outside until the two membranes are pulled out, so that the risk of germs entering the fluid flow path is extremely low.

[0004] In a film-type sterile connector, a member that acts as a tab for pulling the membrane out is generally attached to the membrane to make it easier to pull it out of the connector parts when they are joined. In the connector parts before joining, the tab is attached to the connector body, and the user of the sterile connector can pull the membrane out of each connector by holding the two connector parts in close contact with each other and pulling them away from each connector body.

[0005] Considering the role of such a tab, it is preferable that the tab has a shape that is easy for the user to grasp. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a tab that is easy for the user to grasp by providing grooves or ribs in the part that is to be grasped by the user (see reference numeral 314a in Figure 28 of Patent Document 1 and its explanation). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Pat. No. 10,307,583 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6535902 [Patent Document 3] Special Publication No. 2017-505408 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, for hygienic reasons, users of sterile connectors often wear gloves, etc. In this way, when wearing gloves, even if the tab has grooves or ribs, the fingers may slip when grasping and pulling the tab, making it difficult to operate. For this reason, further ingenuity is needed to improve the operability of sterile connectors.

[0008] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a sterile connector with improved operability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following sterile connector.

[0010] [1] A sterile connector that is composed of two connector parts, each having a fluid flow path, and that suppresses the intrusion of germs from the outside while realizing the flow of fluid between the two connector parts by connecting the two connector parts and communicating the flow paths of the two connector parts, Each of the two connector portions is a connector body having a coupling mechanism for coupling to a mating connector portion of a mating connector and having a fluid flow path with an opening on a facing surface that faces the mating connector portion when the two connector portions are coupled; a membrane member having a belt shape, one end of which is adhered to the opposing surface in a manner to close the opening of the connector body before the two connector parts are coupled, and the one end of which is peeled off from the opposing surface after the two connector parts are coupled to open the opening and connect the flow paths of the two connector parts; a tab member having a plate shape connected to the remaining portion of the membrane member other than the one end portion, which rotates about an end portion of the tab member as a rotation axis to transition from a closed position in which a first of two faces of the plate shape is accommodated on the opposing face of the connector body with the first face facing the opposing face of the connector body to an open position in which the tab member is inverted upside down and extends outwardly of the connector body, and when the two connector portions are coupled, the tab member abuts against the tab member in the open position of the mating connector portion, and is detached from the connector body in response to a pulling operation by a user's finger to peel off the one end portion of the membrane member from the opposing face, The tab member is a ring portion formed in a ring shape, the ring portion abutting against the ring portion of the tab member of the mating connector portion in such a manner that an inner cavity of the ring portion overlaps with an inner cavity of the ring portion of the tab member of the mating connector portion when the two connector portions are coupled, and into which the user's finger is inserted during the pulling-out operation; a shaft-like portion formed on only one of two side surfaces of the plate shape facing each other and extending in a band shape with the thickness direction of the plate shape as the width direction at the end of the tab member, the shaft-like portion protruding from the one side surface and functioning as the rotation shaft, The connector body includes: a guide hole is formed in which the shaft-like portion is inserted and through which the inserted shaft-like portion can move in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, and a bearing portion is provided to rotatably support the shaft-like portion inserted in the guide hole, In the guide hole, an open position support position at which the shaft portion of the tab member in the open position is supported is shifted in the up-down direction perpendicular to the opposing surface from a closed position support position at which the shaft portion of the tab member in the closed position is supported, so that the first surface of the tab member that faced the opposing surface in the closed position is adjusted to be positioned at the same height in the up-down direction as a virtual boundary surface that serves as a boundary between the two connector parts that come into close contact with each other when the two connector parts are coupled in the open position.

[0011] [2] The connector body further includes an annular seal member made of an elastic material and disposed along an inner wall of the flow passage, the annular seal member having a protruding end portion protruding from the opening of the flow passage in the up-down direction, A sterile connector as described in [1], wherein in the closed position, the ring portion of the tab member accommodates, in the ring-shaped inner cavity, one end of the membrane member that has been pushed up from the opening in the vertical direction by the protruding end of the annular sealing member.

[0012] [3] A sterile connector as described in [1] or [2], wherein the tab member has a butting portion that stands up from a second surface opposite the first surface at the end and butts against a side of the connector body that is connected to the opposing surface in the open position, thereby maintaining the first surface of the tab member at the same height as the boundary surface in the vertical direction in the open position.

[0013] [4] A sterile connector as described in [1] or [2], wherein the open position support position is lower in the vertical direction than the closed position support position and is downstream of the closed position support position in the pulling-out direction during the pulling-out operation.

[0014] [5] A sterile connector as described in [4], wherein the guide hole is a long cutout portion whose downstream end in the pulling-out direction is open toward the pulling-out direction, and the tab member is detached from the connector body when the axial portion comes off the downstream end that is open in the pulling-out direction upon the pulling-out operation.

[0015] [6] A sterile connector as described in [4], wherein the tip of the axial portion has a diameter larger than the width of the long guide hole and has a slip-out prevention portion formed thereon to prevent the axial portion from shifting in the insertion direction and coming out of the guide hole. Effect of the Invention

[0016] In the present invention, the tab members of each connector part before coupling are housed in a closed position on the opposing surface of the connector body, thereby maintaining a compact and non-bulky state, which is convenient for handling and carrying at the pre-coupling stage.

[0017] In addition, when the two connector parts are joined, the tab member rotates from the closed position around the shaft-shaped part on the side of the end as a rotation axis, and is turned over to an open position in which it protrudes and extends outside the connector body, and in this position it abuts against the tab member in the open position of the mating connector part. When this abutment occurs, the ring parts of the two tab members overlap, and the user can insert his or her fingers into the two ring parts to simultaneously pull out the two tab members from the two joined connector bodies, thereby simultaneously pulling out the membrane members connected to the tab members and connecting the flow paths of the two connector parts. In this way, the method of inserting fingers into the ring parts to pull out the tab member is less likely to cause slippage compared to the conventional method of grabbing and pulling the tab with fingers, and therefore the tab member and membrane member can be pulled out reliably, improving the operability of the sterile connector in the present invention.

[0018] At this time, from the viewpoint of allowing the two membrane members to be pulled out simultaneously, it is preferable that the ring portions overlap as closely as possible. However, if the tab member in the closed position is simply rotated to the open position, it is usually impossible for the ring portions of the tab member to overlap exactly when the two connector parts are coupled, due to the thickness of the tab member and the like. On the other hand, in the present invention, there is a vertical offset between the support position in the closed position and the support position in the open position, so that the first surface of the tab member in the open position is adjusted to be located at the same height as the virtual boundary surface between the two connector bodies that are in close contact with each other when the two connector parts are coupled. Therefore, the ring portions are more likely to overlap exactly when the two connector parts are coupled, and the two membrane members are more reliably pulled out simultaneously. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a connector portion which is a component of the sterile connector of the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the connector portion of FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is an exploded view showing the connector unit in FIG. 1 divided into its components. [Figure 4]3 is an external perspective view illustrating a state in which a cover member is removed from the connector unit in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 5 is an external perspective view illustrating a state in which the tab member in the closed position in FIG. 4 rotates about a shaft-shaped portion at its end as a rotation axis to move to an open position. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is an external perspective view illustrating a state in which two connector portions having tab members in an open position are joined together. [Figure 7] 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of two connector portions in the state shown in FIG. 6. FIG. [Figure 8] 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the relationship between a membrane member pushed up from an opening by an annular sealing member and a ring portion of a tab member in a closed position when the annular sealing member protrudes from the opening. FIG. [Figure 9] 5 is a side view of the tab member in the closed position in FIG. 4 and the connector main body housing the tab member in the closed position on the opposing surface in FIG. 3, as viewed from the axial direction of the shaft-shaped portion in FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a side view illustrating a state in which the tab member in the closed position in FIG. 9 is in the middle of rotating toward the open position. [Figure 11] 10 is a side view illustrating a state in which the tab member in the closed position in FIG. 9 is in the middle of rotating toward the open position. [Figure 12] 12 is a side view illustrating a state in which the tab member in the closed position in FIG. 9 has transitioned to the open position via the states in FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. [Figure 13] 13 is a side view illustrating a state in which two connector portions having tab members in an open position in FIG. 12 are joined together. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and that appropriate design changes, improvements, etc. may be made based on the ordinary knowledge of a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0021] The sterile connector of this embodiment is composed of two connector parts, each having a fluid flow path. In the sterile connector of this embodiment, the two connector parts are joined and their flow paths are connected, realizing the flow of fluid between the two connector parts while suppressing the intrusion of germs from the outside. These two connector parts have the same configuration, and below, first, a single connector part that is one of the two connector parts will be described.

[0022] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a connector portion 10 which is a component of the sterile connector of this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view of the connector portion 10 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing the connector portion 10 of FIG. 1 separated into its components.

[0023] The connector section 10 includes, as its main components, a connector body 1 (see Figs. 1 to 3), a membrane member 2 (see Fig. 3), and a tab member 3 (see Figs. 1 to 3). In the present embodiment, as an example, in addition to these components, a ring-shaped seal member 5 (see Fig. 3) made of an elastic material and arranged along the inner wall of the flow path in the connector section 10 is further included.

[0024] In this embodiment, a cover member 4 (see Figs. 1 to 3) is attached to the connector part 10 before coupling to prevent the internal structure of the connector part 10 from being exposed, and this cover member 4 is also one of the components of the connector part 10 before coupling. As will be described later, the cover member 4 is removed from the connector part 10 in the first stage of the coupling process of the two connector parts 10, and is therefore a component that does not appear at all during the subsequent coupling process. In the following explanation, for simplicity of explanation, the connector part 10 after the cover member 4 has been removed may also be referred to simply as the "connector part 10", in the same way as the connector part 10 equipped with the cover member 4.

[0025] The main components of the connector portion 10, that is, the connector body 1, the membrane member 2, and the tab member 3, will be described in detail below mainly with reference to FIG.

[0026] The connector body 1 has a coupling mechanism 12 for coupling to the mating connector part 10 on an opposing surface 11 that faces the mating connector part 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as the "mating connector part 10") when the two connector parts 10 are coupled. The connector body 1 further has a fluid flow path 13 having an opening 13a on the opposing surface 11. Note that the flow path 13 and a part of the opening 13a cannot be seen from the outside, and therefore these invisible parts are shown by dotted lines in FIG. 3. Here, an attachment part 131 is formed on the opposite side of the opening 13a of the flow path 13, and an external tube or the like of the sterile connector of this embodiment is attached to this attachment part 131 to allow the inflow of the fluid from the outside and the outflow of the fluid to the outside.

[0027] The membrane member 2 is a member having a belt shape. Before the two connector parts 10 are joined, the membrane member 2 has one end 20 adhered to the opposing surface 11 in such a manner as to block the opening 13a of the connector body 1. After the two connector parts 10 are joined, the one end 20 is peeled off from the opposing surface 11, opening the opening 13a and connecting the flow paths of the two connector parts 10. Note that FIG. 3 shows a first part 21, a second part 22, and a third part 23 as remaining parts of the membrane member 2 other than the one end 20. The first part 21 is a part that is connected to the one end 20 at the left end of the membrane member 2 in the figure, folded back 180 degrees, and extends to the right in the figure. The second part 22 is a part that is connected to the first part 21 at the right end of the membrane member 2 in the figure, folded back 90 degrees, and extends upward in the figure. The third part 23 is connected to the second part 22 at the right end of the membrane member 2 in the figure, folded back 90 degrees and extending to the left in the figure, and has a ring-shaped end (speaking of the membrane member 2 as a whole, the other end opposite the one end 20).

[0028] The tab member 3 is a plate-shaped member connected to the remaining portion of the membrane member 2 other than the one end portion 20 described above. Although a tab member (reference symbol 300) is also present in Patent Document 1, the tab member in Patent Document 1 has a complex bent shape, which causes the sterile connector in Patent Document 1 to have a somewhat bulky structure. On the other hand, the tab member 3 of the present embodiment has a simpler plate shape than the tab member (reference symbol 300) in Patent Document 1, which contributes to the realization of a compact sterile connector that is not bulky.

[0029] In this embodiment, as an example, a form is adopted in which the third portion 23 of the membrane member 2 is adhered to a surface (a second surface 3b described later) of the tab member 3 facing upward in Fig. 3, thereby connecting the tab member 3 to the remaining portion of the membrane member 2. In the exploded view of Fig. 3, the tab member 3 and the membrane member 2 are shown separated, but in the actual state of Figs. 1 and 2, the tab member 3 is disposed between the third portion 23 (see Fig. 3) of the membrane member 2 adhered to the tab member 3 and the first portion 21 (see Fig. 3) of the membrane member 2 not adhered to the tab member 3. At this time, the second portion 22 of the membrane member 2 faces the rear end surface 3d of the tab member 3 facing the right side in Fig. 3.

[0030] In this state, the tab member 3 has a first surface (not shown in FIG. 3, see reference symbol 3a in FIG. 5) of two plate-shaped surfaces facing the opposing surface 11 of the connector body 1, and is housed on the opposing surface 11 in this manner. Hereinafter, the tab member 3 in this position will be referred to as the tab member 3 in the closed position. In FIGS. 1 to 3, the tab member 3 is in this closed position.

[0031] In this embodiment, the tab members 3 of each connector part 10 prior to coupling are housed in a closed position on the opposing surface 11 (see FIG. 3) of the connector body 1, thereby maintaining a compact and non-bulky state, which is convenient for handling and carrying before coupling.

[0032] FIG. 4 is an external perspective view showing a state in which the cover member 4 is removed from the connector unit 10 of FIGS.

[0033] When a user uses the connector parts 10 of Figs. 1 and 2 to couple two connector parts 10, he or she first removes the cover member 4 from the connector parts 10 of Figs. 1 and 2. As a result, the internal structure of the connector part 10, which is covered by the cover member 4 and cannot be seen from the outside in Figs. 1 and 2, is exposed as shown in Fig. 4, and the tab member 3 in the closed position can be seen. In the tab member 3 in the closed position in Fig. 4, the third part 23 of the membrane member 2 is adhered to the upper surface (second surface 3b described later), and the first part 21 of the membrane member 2 is disposed below the tab member 3 via the second part 22 of the membrane member 2 facing the rear end surface 3d of the tab member 3. Note that Fig. 4 shows a state in which the cover member 4 is removed from the single connector part 10 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but the mating connector part 10 also has a similar configuration.

[0034] Here, the tab member 3 can rotate about its end (more precisely, a shaft-like portion 32 formed at the end and shown in Figures 3 and 4, which will be described later) as a rotation axis. This rotation causes the tab member 3 to transition from the closed position shown in Figures 3 and 4 to an open position in which it is turned over and extends outward from the connector body 1.

[0035] FIG. 5 is an external perspective view illustrating a state in which the tab member 3 in the closed position in FIG. 4 rotates about the shaft-like portion 32 at its end as a rotation axis and moves to the open position.

[0036] In the closed position of FIG. 4, the tab member 3 rotates half a turn in the direction of the arrow X in FIG. 4 around an end portion (a shaft-shaped portion 32 described later) as a rotation axis, so that the tab member 3 transitions to an open position in which it extends outward from the connector body 1 along an extension of the facing surface 11 of the connector body 1 as shown in FIG. 5. At this time, a first surface 3a (not shown in FIG. 4, see FIG. 5), which is the lower surface of the tab member 3 that faces the facing surface 11 of the connector body 1 (not shown in FIG. 4, see FIG. 3 and FIG. 5) in the closed position of FIG. 4, becomes the upper surface of the tab member 3 in the open position of FIG. 5. On the other hand, a second surface 3b (see FIG. 4, not shown in FIG. 5), which is the surface of the tab member 3 opposite to the first surface 3a and which was the upper surface of the tab member 3 in the closed position of FIG. 4, becomes the lower surface of the tab member 3 in the open position of FIG. 5. That is, the tab member 3 is turned over when it transitions from the closed position of FIG. 4 to the open position of FIG. 5.

[0037] When the two connector parts 10 are joined, the tab member 3 in such an open position comes into contact with a tab member 3 of the mating connector part 10 that is also in the open position.

[0038] FIG. 6 is an external oblique view showing the state in which two connector parts 10 having tab members 3 in an open position are connected, and FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the two connector parts 10 in the state shown in FIG. 6.

[0039] 6 and 7, when the tab members 3 overlap each other in the open position, each tab member 3 is pulled out by a user's finger in the Y direction in Fig. 6 and 7 to be detached from the connector body 1. Due to this detachment, one end 20 of each membrane member 2 connected to each tab member 3 is peeled off from the opening 13a (see Fig. 3) on the opposing surface 11 of the connector body 1. As a result, the flow paths 13 (see Figs. 3 and 7) of the two connector parts 10 become connected to each other.

[0040] Below, we will explain in detail the shapes and configurations of the tab member 3 and the connector body 1 that are designed to improve the operability of the sterile connector until the two connector parts 10 are joined and the flow paths are connected.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the tab member 3 has a ring portion 31 and a shaft portion 32.

[0042] The ring portion 31 is a portion formed in a ring shape. When the two connector parts 10 are coupled, the ring portion 31 abuts against the ring portion 31 of the mating connector part 10 with its ring-shaped inner cavity overlapping the ring-shaped inner cavity of the ring portion 31 of the tab member 3 of the mating connector part 10 (see FIG. 6). In this abutting state, the ring portion 31 receives the user's finger when the user pulls out the tab member 3.

[0043] The shaft-like portion 32 is a portion formed only on one side surface (the side surface 3c on the front side in FIG. 3) of two opposing side surfaces of the plate shape of the tab member 3, which spreads in a band shape with the thickness direction of the plate shape of the tab member 3 as the width direction, at the end of the tab member 3 (the end surface on the right side in FIG. 3). In other words, the shaft-like portion 32 is not formed on the other side surface (the side surface on the back side in FIG. 3) of the two side surfaces, and only one shaft-like portion exists at the end of the tab member 3. The shaft-like portion 32 protrudes from the one side surface 3c, and acts as a rotation axis when the tab member 3 rotates from the closed position (see FIG. 4) to the open position (see FIG. 5) described above.

[0044] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 3 to Fig. 5, the connector main body 1 has a bearing portion 14 as a portion for supporting the shaft-like portion 32. The bearing portion 14 has a long guide hole 14a through which the shaft-like portion 32 is inserted and through which the inserted shaft-like portion 32 can move in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, and the bearing portion 14 supports the shaft-like portion 32 inserted in the guide hole 14a so as to be rotatable. In correspondence with the fact that the tab member 3 has only one shaft-like portion 32 on one side, the connector main body 1 also has only one bearing portion 14 on one side. The reason that the bearing portion 14 is present only on one side of the connector main body 1 is to prevent the bearing portion 14 from colliding with the bearing portion 14 of the mating connector part 10 and hindering the connection when the two connector main bodies 1 are connected as shown in Fig. 6.

[0045] The bearing portion 14 supports the shaft-shaped portion 32 of the tab member 3 in the closed position shown in FIG. 4 at the closed position support position in the guide hole 14a, and supports the shaft-shaped portion 32 of the tab member 3 in the open position shown in FIG. 5 at the open position support position in the guide hole 14a. That is, the position occupied by the shaft-shaped portion 32 in the long guide hole 14a in FIG. 4 is the closed position support position, and the position occupied by the shaft-shaped portion 32 in the long guide hole 14a in FIG. 5 is the open position support position. Here, as can be seen from a comparison of the positions of the shaft-shaped portion 32 in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the open position support position is shifted from the closed position support position in the up-down direction perpendicular to the opposing surface 11 (see FIG. 3) of the connector body 1. More specifically, the open position support position is lower than the closed position support position in the up-down direction (see difference d in FIG. 12 described later). Due to this positional shift, the first surface 3a of the tab member 3, which faces the opposing surface 11 in the closed position, is adjusted in the open position so that it is positioned at the same height in the vertical direction as a virtual boundary surface B (see Figure 7), which is the boundary between the two connector parts 10 that come into close contact with each other when the two connector parts 10 are connected.

[0046] The word "virtual" in the above "virtual boundary surface" indicates that it is not an actual surface such as the surface of a member, but a conceptual abstract surface. Specifically, such a "virtual boundary surface" is obtained by extending the contact surface that is the contact point of the two connector parts 10 that are in close contact with each other. Here, FIG. 7 shows, as a specific example, a case in which the annular seal member 5 in FIG. 5 protrudes slightly from the opening 13a of the flow path 13 in the vertical direction. In this case, when the two connector parts 10 are coupled, the two annular seal members 5 in the two connector parts 10 are in close contact with each other, and the contact points (contact surfaces) of the two annular seal members 5 are extended to obtain the above-mentioned virtual boundary surface B. Note that the vertical height of such virtual boundary surface B (for example, the height measured from the opposing surface 11, etc.) is determined in advance (at a stage before coupling) by the above-mentioned coupling mechanism of the connector main body 1. That is, in this embodiment, the height of the first surface 3a of the tab member 3 in the open position is adjusted to the same height as the boundary surface B at a stage before coupling.

[0047] When the two connector parts 10 are joined, the tab member 3 in the open position abuts against the tab member 3 in the open position of the mating connector part 10 with the height of the first surface 3a adjusted to the same height as the boundary surface B (see Figs. 6 and 7). When this abutment occurs, the ring parts 31 of the two tab members 3 overlap each other, and the user can insert his / her fingers into the two ring parts 31 and pull out the two tab members 3 from the two joined connector bodies 1 simultaneously in the Y direction of Fig. 6, thereby simultaneously pulling out the membrane member 2 (see Figs. 3 and 4) connected to the tab member 3, thereby communicating the flow paths 13 of the two connector parts 10. In this manner, the method of inserting a finger into the ring part 31 to pull out the tab member 3 is less likely to cause a slippery finger compared to the conventional method of grabbing and pulling the tab with a finger, and therefore the tab member 3 and the membrane member 2 can be pulled out reliably, improving the operability of the sterile connector in this embodiment.

[0048] At this time, from the viewpoint of allowing the two membrane members 2 to be pulled out simultaneously, it is preferable that the ring parts 31 overlap as closely as possible. However, if the tab member 3 in the closed position is simply rotated to the open position, it is usually impossible for the ring parts 31 of the tab member 3 to overlap closely when the two connector parts 10 are coupled, due to the presence of the thickness of the tab member 3, etc. On the other hand, in this embodiment, as described above, there is a vertical deviation between the support position in the closed position and the support position in the open position, so that the first surface 3a of the tab member 3 in the open position is adjusted to be located at the same height as the virtual boundary surface when the two connector parts 10 are coupled. Therefore, the ring parts are easily overlapped closely, and the two membrane members 2 are more reliably pulled out simultaneously.

[0049] The vertical positional deviation between the closed position support position and the open position support position (see difference d in FIG. 12 described later) is preferably, for example, 1.0 to 4.0 mm. Such values ​​can be appropriately determined depending on the actual situation, such as the height of the imaginary boundary surface B.

[0050] Figure 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the membrane member 2 pushed up from the opening 13a by the annular sealing member 5 and the ring portion 31 of the tab member 3 in the closed position when the annular sealing member 5 protrudes from the opening 13a.

[0051] As described above in FIG. 5, the annular seal member 5 made of an elastic material is disposed along the inner wall of the flow path 13 of the connector body 1, and protrudes from the opening 13a of the flow path 13 in the vertical direction as described above in FIG. 7. In FIG. 8, the protruding portion is shown as a protruding end portion 51. As shown in FIG. 8, this protruding end portion 51 pushes up the one end portion 20 of the membrane member 2 covering the opening portion 13a from the opening portion 13a in the vertical direction. At this time, the ring portion 31 of the tab member 3 in the closed position accommodates the one end portion 20 of the membrane member 2 that has been pushed up in its ring-shaped inner cavity. Note that FIG. 8 shows that not only the one end portion 20 of the membrane member 2, but also the first portion 21 of the membrane member 2 overlapping thereon is accommodated in the ring-shaped inner cavity of the ring portion 31 together with the one end portion 20.

[0052] Generally, it is often necessary for the annular seal member to protrude from the opening in order to achieve high sealing performance. In this embodiment, even in such a case, one end 20 of the membrane member 2 pushed up by the protruding end 51 of the annular seal member 5 is accommodated in the ring-shaped inner cavity of the ring portion 31 of the tab member 3 in the closed position. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the closed position of the tab member 3 from becoming unstable due to the presence of the protruding end 51.

[0053] 3 to 5, the tab member 3 has an abutment portion 33 erected from a second surface 3b in FIG. 4 opposite to the first surface 3a in FIG. 5 at an end of the tab member 3 where the shaft-shaped portion 32 is formed. When the tab member 3 is in the open position of FIG. 5, the abutment portion 33 abuts against a side surface 15 (see FIGS. 3 to 5) of the connector body 1 that is connected to the opposing surface 11 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) of the connector body 1. By the abutment portion 33 abutting against the side surface 15 of the connector body 1, the tab member 3 cannot rotate beyond the open position of FIG. 5, and a state in which the first surface 3a of the tab member 3 in the open position is positioned at the same height as an imaginary boundary surface in the up-down direction is maintained.

[0054] When the tab member 3 has such a butting portion 33, the above-mentioned state (see FIG. 5) in the open position of the tab member 3 is stabilized, and as a result, the position (see FIG. 6) of the two overlapping connector parts 10 when connected is also stabilized.

[0055] The change in position of the shaft portion 32 within the long guide hole 14a when transitioning from the closed position of FIG. 4 to the open position of FIG. 5 will be described in more detail below with reference to the following FIGS.

[0056] Fig. 9 is a side view of the tab member 3 in the closed position in Fig. 4 and the connector main body 1 housing the tab member 3 in the closed position on the opposing surface 11 in Fig. 3, as viewed from the axial direction of the shaft-like portion 32 in Fig. 4. Figs. 10 and 11 are side views showing a state in which the tab member 3 in the closed position in Fig. 9 is in the middle of rotating toward the open position. Fig. 12 is a side view showing a state in which the tab member 3 in the closed position in Fig. 9 has moved to the open position through the states in Figs. 10 and 11. Fig. 13 is a side view showing a state in which two connector portions 10 having the tab members 3 in the open position in Fig. 12 are coupled together.

[0057] In Fig. 9, the position of the shaft-like portion 32 in the long guide hole 14a is the above-mentioned closed position pivot position (see also Fig. 4), and when a user applies a rotational force in the direction of the arrow X in Figs. 4 and 9 to the tip portion 34 of the tab member 3, the tab member 3 starts to rotate around the shaft-like portion 32 in the closed position pivot position as a rotation axis. Fig. 10 shows a state in which the tab member 3 is midway through rotation with a rotation angle of less than 90°, and Fig. 11 shows a state in which the tab member 3 is midway through rotation with a rotation angle of more than 90°. Through these states in Figs. 10 and 11, the tab member 3 finally moves to the open position in Fig. 12, and in Fig. 12, the position of the shaft-like portion 32 in the long guide hole 14a is the above-mentioned open position pivot position (see also Fig. 5).

[0058] 9 to 12, the long guide hole 14a extends in the pull-out direction (Y direction in Figs. 6 and 13). As the tab member 3 rotates, the shaft-shaped portion 32 advances in the pull-out direction within the guide hole 14a (see the change in position of the shaft-shaped portion 32 within the guide hole 14a from Fig. 10 to Fig. 11). That is, the open position support position in Fig. 12 is lower in the up-down direction than the closed position support position in Fig. 9 (see position difference d in Fig. 12), and is also located downstream of the closed position support position in the pull-out direction.

[0059] In this manner, since the open position support position is located downstream in the pulling-out direction from the closed position support position, the transition of the shaft-shaped portion 32 from the closed position support position to the open position support position lowered by the vertical position difference d (see FIG. 12) is performed smoothly and stably.

[0060] 9 to 12, the long guide hole 14a is not, strictly speaking, a complete hole, but is a long cutout portion whose downstream end in the pulling-out direction (Y direction in Figs. 6 and 13) is open toward the pulling-out direction. When the user pulls the tab member 3 in the Y direction in the coupled state of Fig. 13, the shaft portion 32 comes off from the downstream end opened in the pulling-out direction, and the tab member 3 is detached from the connector body 1.

[0061] In this manner, with guide hole 14a being a long cutout portion, tab member 3 can be pulled out of connector body 1 easily and smoothly.

[0062] Here, as shown in FIG. 3, a slip-out prevention portion 32a is formed at the tip of the shaft-shaped portion 32, the diameter of which is larger than the width of the long guide hole 14a, to prevent the shaft-shaped portion 32 from shifting in the insertion direction of the shaft-shaped portion 32 into the guide hole 14a and slipping out of the guide hole 14a.

[0063] In this manner, in the form in which the anti-slip portion 32a is formed on the shaft-shaped portion 32, even though there is only one shaft-shaped portion 32 on one side of the tab member 3, the shaft-shaped portion 32 is less likely to slip out of the guide hole 14a, and the posture of the tab member 3 is stabilized.

[0064] The above has described features relating to the shaft-shaped portion 32 of the tab member 3 and the bearing portion 14 (or its guide hole 14a) of the connector body 1, but the following will describe other features.

[0065] As described above in FIG. 3, the connector body 1 has a coupling mechanism 12 for coupling to the mating connector part 10 on the opposing surface 11. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the coupling mechanism 12 may have a ratchet pawl 121 protruding from the opposing surface 11 and a ratchet pawl receiving part 122 recessed from the opposing surface 11. The ratchet pawl 121 and the ratchet pawl receiving part 122 are engaged with the ratchet pawl receiving part 122 and the ratchet pawl 121 of the mating connector part 10, which they face, in the states shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 13. To explain in more detail, the hook-shaped part at the tip of the ratchet pawl 121 is caught by a catch part in the ratchet pawl receiving part 122 and fits into the ratchet pawl receiving part 122, thereby engaging with the ratchet pawl receiving part 122 and the ratchet pawl 121. This engagement realizes a coupled state of the two connector parts 10.

[0066] In this manner, in the coupling mechanism 12 using the ratchet pawl 121 and the ratchet pawl receiving portion 122, the two connector portions 10 are coupled together simply by inserting the ratchet pawl 121 into the ratchet pawl receiving portion 122. This makes it extremely easy to couple the two connector portions 10 together.

[0067] In this embodiment, such a ratchet system is also used to stabilize the closed position of the tab member 3 shown in Figures 4 and 9. Specifically, the ratchet pawl 35 formed on the tab member 3 side, shown in Figures 5 and 9, engages with the ratchet pawl receiving portion 16, shown in Figure 9, formed on the connector main body 1 side, thereby fixing the closed position of the tab member 3 shown in Figures 4 and 9. Fixing the closed position of the tab member 3 in this manner prevents an accident in which the tab member 3 comes off the connector main body 1 before the two connector parts 10 are joined.

[0068] However, in the present invention, a connecting / fixing means other than the ratchet method described above may be used as the connecting mechanism. For example, a method of connecting / fixing two members to be connected / fixed with a screw may be used. [Industrial Applicability]

[0069] The present invention is useful for improving the operability of a sterile connector. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1: Connector body, 2: Membrane member, 3: Tab member, 3a: 1st page, 3b: 2nd side, 3c: side, 3d: rear end surface, 4: Cover member, 5: annular seal member, 10: Connector part, 11: opposing surface, 12: Coupling mechanism, 13: flow path, 13a: opening, 14: Bearing part, 15: Side, 16: Ratchet claw receiving part, 20: One end, 21: 1st part, 22:Second part, 23: Third part, 31: Ring section, 32: shaft-shaped portion, 32a: Anti-slip part, 33: abutment part, 34: tip, 35: Ratchet claw, 51: protruding end; 121: Ratchet claw, 122: Ratchet claw receiving part B: Virtual interface.

Claims

1. A sterile connector is comprised of two connector parts each having a fluid flow path, and the two connector parts are joined together to communicate the flow paths of the two connector parts while preventing the intrusion of germs from the outside, thereby realizing the flow of fluid between the two connector parts, Each of the two connector portions is a connector body having a coupling mechanism for coupling to a mating connector portion of a mating connector and having a fluid flow path with an opening on a facing surface that faces the mating connector portion when the two connector portions are coupled; a membrane member having a band shape, one end of which is adhered to the opposing surface in a manner to close the opening of the connector body before the two connector parts are coupled, and the one end of which is peeled off from the opposing surface after the two connector parts are coupled to open the opening and connect the flow paths of the two connector parts; a tab member having a plate shape connected to a remaining portion of the membrane member other than the one end portion, which rotates about an end portion of the tab member as a rotation axis to transition from a closed position in which a first of two faces of the plate shape is accommodated on the opposing face of the connector body with the first face facing the opposing face, to an open position in which the tab member is inverted upside down and extends outwardly of the connector body, and when the two connector portions are coupled, the tab member abuts against the tab member in the open position of the mating connector portion, and is pulled out of the connector body by a user's finger to peel off the one end portion of the membrane member from the opposing face, The tab member is a ring portion formed in a ring shape, the ring portion abutting against the ring portion of the tab member of the mating connector portion in such a manner that an inner cavity of the ring portion overlaps with an inner cavity of the ring portion of the tab member of the mating connector portion when the two connector portions are coupled, and into which the user's finger is inserted during the pulling-out operation; a shaft-like portion formed on only one of two side surfaces of the plate shape facing each other and extending in a band shape with the thickness direction of the plate shape as the width direction at the end of the tab member, the shaft-like portion protruding from the one side surface and functioning as the rotation shaft, The connector body includes: a guide hole is formed in which the shaft-like portion is inserted and through which the inserted shaft-like portion can move in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, and a bearing portion is provided to rotatably support the shaft-like portion inserted in the guide hole, In the guide hole, an open position support position at which the shaft portion of the tab member in the open position is supported is shifted in the up-down direction perpendicular to the opposing surface from a closed position support position at which the shaft portion of the tab member in the closed position is supported, so that the first surface of the tab member that faced the opposing surface in the closed position is adjusted to be positioned at the same height in the up-down direction as a virtual boundary surface that serves as a boundary between the two connector parts that come into close contact with each other when the two connector parts are coupled, in the open position.

2. the connector body further includes an annular seal member made of an elastic material and disposed along an inner wall of the flow passage, the annular seal member having a protruding end portion protruding from the opening of the flow passage in the up-down direction, 2. The sterile connector according to claim 1, wherein in the closed position, the ring portion of the tab member accommodates in the ring-shaped inner cavity one end of the membrane member that has been pushed up from the opening in the vertical direction by the protruding end of the annular sealing member.

3. 3. The sterile connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tab member has an abutment portion that stands up from a second surface opposite the first surface at the end and abuts against a side surface of the connector body that is connected to the opposing surface in the open position, thereby maintaining the first surface of the tab member at the same height as the virtual boundary surface in the vertical direction in the open position.

4. 3. A sterile connector as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the open position support position is lower in the vertical direction than the closed position support position and is downstream of the closed position support position in the pulling-out direction during the pulling-out operation.

5. 5. The sterile connector as described in claim 4, wherein the guide hole is a long cutout portion whose downstream end in the pulling-out direction is open toward the pulling-out direction, and the tab member is detached from the connector body when subjected to the pulling operation, with the shaft-shaped portion coming off the downstream end that is open in the pulling-out direction.

6. 5. The sterile connector according to claim 4, wherein the shaft-shaped portion has a tip end formed with a retaining portion having a diameter larger than the width of the long guide hole, the retaining portion preventing the shaft-shaped portion from shifting in the insertion direction and coming out of the guide hole.

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