Tube connectors and tubes with connectors

Abstract

The present invention provides a tube connector and a tube with a connector that facilitate screwing a second member onto a first member. [Solution] A tube connector 12 for connecting a medical tube 11 to a medical device D, comprising a female member 21 into which the medical tube 11 is inserted, a male member 22 that screws into the female member 21, and an O-ring 23 housed in the female member 21 and deforming as the male member 22 is screwed into the female member 21, thereby fixing the medical tube 11, wherein screwing gripping portions 37 and 62 for screwing the male member 22 into the female member 21 are formed on the outer circumferential surface 61 of the female member 21 and the outer circumferential surface 36 of the male member 22 at positions spaced apart from the ends on the adjacent sides of each other.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tube connector and a tube with a connector.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a tube connector (connector), there is one composed of a first member (member A) and a second member (member B). By screwing together the first member and the second member and compressing and deforming a packing with these two members, a catheter is fixed (see Patent Document 1). This tube connector includes a first member and a second member having screw threads that engage with each other, and a packing attached to the first member. After inserting a catheter into the through-hole of the packing, the first member and the second member are screwed together, and the two members press and compress the packing, so that the catheter is fixed by the packing deformed by the pressing compression. Thus, since the catheter is fixed by the deformation of the packing accompanying the screwing of the first member and the second member, the catheter can be easily and liquid-tightly fixed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the conventional tube connector, since the second member is screwed to the first member by gripping and screwing the end portions on the proximity side of the first member and the second member, there is a problem that the fingers gripping the first member and the second member collide with each other, making it difficult to screw the second member to the first member.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a tube connector and a tube with a connector that facilitates screwing a second member onto a first member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a tube connector for connecting a medical tube to a medical device, comprising: a first member into which the medical tube is inserted; a second member that screws onto the first member; and a packing housed in the first member and deforming as the second member screws onto the first member, thereby fixing the medical tube, wherein the outer circumferential surface of the first member and the outer circumferential surface of the second member have screwing gripping portions formed at positions spaced apart from their respective adjacent ends for screwing the second member onto the first member.

[0007] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a tube with a connector comprising a medical tube and a tube connector for connecting the medical tube to a medical device, wherein the tube connector comprises a first member into which the medical tube is inserted, a second member that screws onto the first member, and a packing housed in the first member that deforms as the second member screws onto the first member, thereby fixing the medical tube, and the outer circumferential surface of the first member and the outer circumferential surface of the second member are formed at positions spaced apart from their respective adjacent ends, thereby providing a tube with a connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The tube connector and tube with connector according to the present invention facilitate the screwing of the second member onto the first member. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1]This image shows a front view (a) of a tube with a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention, with a medical tube attached to the tube connector and a front view (b) of a medical tube detached from the tube connector. [Figure 2] (a) is a cross-sectional view of the tube connector along line A-A', (b) is a cross-sectional view of the tube connector along line B-B', and (c) is an enlarged view of the main part of Figure 2(b) showing the area around the engaging projection and the retaining part. [Figure 3] These are front view (a), right side view (b), and left side view (c) of the male component. [Figure 4] These are a side view diagram (a) and a cross-sectional view along line C-C' (b) illustrating the behavior of the O-ring when pressed by the pressing part. [Figure 5] These are front view (a), right side view (b), and left side view (c) of the female component. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram showing the tube installation procedure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The following describes a tube connector and a tube equipped with the connector according to one embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the attached drawings. This tube with a connector is a medical tube used inside and outside the human body, to which a tube connector is attached. In particular, this tube with a connector employs a screw-fitting gripping portion in the tube connector that facilitates screwing the male member to the female member. The following description will define left and right, front and back, and up and down as shown in each figure. In this embodiment, the left and right direction coincides with the axial direction of the tube connector, and the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the tube connector is the shear direction of the tube connector.

[0011] (Configuration of tubes with connectors) As shown in Figure 1, the connector-equipped tube 1 comprises a medical tube 11 and a tube connector 12 for connecting the medical tube 11 to a medical device D. The medical tube 11 is connected to the medical device D by inserting and securing the end of the medical tube 11 into the tube connector 12 and connecting the tube connector 12 to the medical device D. In this embodiment, the connector-equipped tube 1 and tube connector 12 are exemplified as drainage-equipped tube 1 and drainage-equipped tube connector 12 used in endoscopic biliary / pancreatic duct drainage. Therefore, the medical device D to which the medical tube 11 is connected is expected to be a syringe, drainage bag (sterile bag), etc.

[0012] The medical tube 11 is a colored tube with a colored outer casing, and in this embodiment, for example, it is assumed to be a catheter that is introduced into the patient's body. That is, in this embodiment, one end of the medical tube 11 is introduced into the patient's body, and the other end of the medical tube 11 is fixed to the tube connector 12 outside the patient's body.

[0013] (Tube connector configuration) As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the tube connector 12 is formed in a gourd shape overall and comprises a female member 21 on the right side into which the medical tube 11 is inserted, a male member 22 on the left side that screws into the female member 21, and an O-ring 23 that is housed in the female member 21 and deforms as the male member 22 screws into the female member 21, thereby fixing (holding) the medical tube 11. The female member 21 is an example of a first member, and the male member 22 is an example of a second member. The O-ring 23 is an example of a packing that deforms as the female member 21 and the male member 22 screw together, thereby fixing the medical tube 11. The O-ring 23 is a ring-shaped packing made of synthetic rubber with a circular cross-section.

[0014] As shown in Figure 3, the male member 22 has a male member body 31, a shaft-shaped portion 32 protruding to the right from the male member body 31, a device connection portion 33 protruding to the left from the male member body 31 for connecting the medical device D, and a through hole 34 that penetrates the male member body 31, the shaft-shaped portion 32, and the device connection portion 33. The male member body 31, the shaft-shaped portion 32, the device connection portion 33, and the through hole 34 are formed coaxially. The device connection portion 33 has threads for connection, and the medical device D may be connected directly, or the medical device D may be connected via a separately prepared medical tube or connector.

[0015] The outer circumferential surface 36 of the male member body 31 has a screw-fitting grip portion 37 for screwing the male member 22 into the female member 21. The screw-fitting grip portion 37 is composed of a grip structure consisting of six recesses 37a (finger rests) arranged in the circumferential direction, and is positioned spaced to the left from the right end of the outer circumferential surface 36. The distance L1 of the screw-fitting grip portion 37 from the right end should be such that when the screw-fitting grip portion 37 is gripped from the left side, the tip of the gripping finger does not extend beyond the right end of the outer circumferential surface 36, and is preferably, for example, 0.95 mm or more. In addition, each recess 37a is formed in a teardrop shape, for example, with the right side being the tip.

[0016] Furthermore, the outer surface 36 of the male member body 31 is tapered towards the right end, and the outer shape of the right end is perfectly circular.

[0017] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the shaft portion 32 has a cylindrical shaft portion body 41, a pressing portion 42 formed at the right end of the shaft portion body 41 which presses the O-ring 23 when the female member 21 and the male member 22 are screwed together, a male threaded portion 43 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion body 41 adjacent to the left side of the pressing portion 42, and an engaging projection 44 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion body 41 adjacent to the left side of the male threaded portion 43. The male threaded portion 43 is screwed into the female threaded portion 71 (described later) of the female member 21.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2(c), the engaging convex portion 44 is formed to project radially over the entire circumference of the shaft-shaped portion main body 41 and is formed in a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape. Although details will be described later, the engaging convex portion 44 and the retaining portion 72 (to be described later) of the female member 21 constitute a separation suppression structure.

[0019] As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the pressing portion 42 has six pressing elements 51 arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction, and the six pressing elements 51 press an O-ring 23 through which the medical tube 11 is inserted. Specifically, the six pressing elements 51 press the O-ring 23 at six locations spaced apart in the circumferential direction. As a result, as shown in Fig. 4(b), the six locations of the O-ring 23 can be greatly deformed, and the hole of the O-ring 23 becomes substantially hexagonal. Thereby, with respect to the medical tube 11 inserted through the hole of the O-ring 23, the O-ring 23 presses only at six locations corresponding to the pressing elements 51, so that the wall thickness of the tube body (for example, the outer layer tube) of the medical tube 11 escapes to the non-pressed portion (the portion corresponding to the interval), and the tube body becomes substantially hexagonal. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occlusion of the medical tube 11 and firmly fix the medical tube 11. It is preferable that each interval between the six pressing elements 51 has a width equal (substantially the same) to the circumferential width of each pressing element 51 in the circumferential direction. For example, it is preferable that each interval between the six pressing elements 51 has a width of 0.8 times or more and 1.2 times or less the circumferential width of each pressing element 51 in the circumferential direction.

[0020] Also, as shown in Fig. 4(a), each pressing element 51 of the pressing portion 42 has a pressing surface 51a formed parallel to the shearing direction of the tube connector 12. That is, the pressing surface 51a of the pressing portion 42 is a surface substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the tube connector 12.

[0021] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the through-hole 34 functions as an insertion hole for inserting the medical tube 11, and also as a communication channel that connects the internal flow path of the medical tube 11 to the medical device D. In other words, when the medical tube 11 is inserted into and fixed in the tube connector 12, the internal flow path of the medical tube 11 is connected to the medical device D in a liquid-tight manner through the through-hole 34 of the tube connector 12, thereby connecting the medical tube 11 and the medical device D.

[0022] Furthermore, a tube restricting portion 56 is formed at the axial midpoint of the through-hole 34 as a constricted portion of the through-hole 34, against which the tip of the medical tube 11 inserted into the female member 21 abuts. The tube restricting portion 56 is an annular rib protruding from the inner circumferential surface of the through-hole 34, and the right annular surface of the tube restricting portion 56 is the abutment surface against which the medical tube 11 abuts. The inner diameter of the tube restricting portion 56 is smaller than the outer diameter of the medical tube 11 and larger than the inner diameter of the medical tube 11. As a result, the tube restricting portion 56 functions as a stopper that restricts the insertion of the tip of the medical tube 11 beyond a predetermined insertion position, and also functions as a positioning portion that positions the tip of the medical tube 11 when it is inserted into the tube connector 12 by abutting against the tube restricting portion 56. In this way, the provision of the tube restricting portion 56 makes it easy to align the tip position of the medical tube 11 inserted into the tube connector 12.

[0023] Furthermore, the male member 22 (male member body 31, shaft-shaped portion 32, and equipment connection portion 33) is made of a translucent resin material and has a light-transmitting configuration. As a result, the male member 22 is configured so that the tip of the medical tube 11 inside it can be seen. This makes it easier and more accurate to align the tip position of the medical tube 11 inserted into the tube connector 12.

[0024] (Configuration of the female component) As shown in Figure 5, the female member 21 is formed in a tapered cylindrical shape, and a screw-fitting grip portion 62 for screwing the male member 22 into the female member 21 is formed on the outer circumferential surface 61 of the female member 21. The screw-fitting grip portion 62 is composed of a grip structure consisting of six recesses 62a (finger rests) arranged in the circumferential direction, and is positioned on the outer circumferential surface 61 spaced apart from the left end in the rightward direction. The distance L2 of the screw-fitting grip portion 62 from the left end should be such that when the screw-fitting grip portion 62 is gripped by pinching it from the right side, the tip of the gripping finger does not extend beyond the left end of the outer circumferential surface 61, and is preferably, for example, 0.95 mm or more. In addition, each recess 62a is formed in a teardrop shape, for example, with the left side as the tip. When screwing the male member 22 into the female member 21, the screwing grip portion 62 of the female member 21 is held with one hand by placing a finger in the recess 62a and pinching it, and the screwing grip portion 37 of the male member 22 is held with the other hand by placing a finger in the recess 37a and pinching it, and the male member 22 is rotated against the female member 21 to screw the male member 22 into the female member 21.

[0025] Furthermore, the outer surface 61 of the female member 21 is tapered at its left end, and the outer shape of the left end is a perfect circle with the same diameter as the outer shape of the right end of the male member body 31. The shape of the left end of the outer surface 61 of the female member 21 and the shape of the right end of the outer surface 36 of the male member 22 create a recess in the center of the entire tube connector 12 in the left-right direction, and this recess serves as a connector gripping portion for gripping the tube connector 12 as a whole.

[0026] On the other hand, as shown in Figures 2 and 5, the female member 21 has, from the right, an insertion hole 66 into which the medical tube 11 is inserted, a tapered hole-shaped seating portion 67 connected to the left of the insertion hole 66 for seating the O-ring 23, and a receiving hole 68 connected to the left of the seating portion 67 for receiving the axial portion 32 of the male member 22, all formed coaxially.

[0027] The inner circumferential surface of the receiving hole 68 is formed with a female threaded portion 71 that screws into the male threaded portion 43 of the male member 22, and a retaining portion 72 that is spaced apart to the left of the female threaded portion 71 and locks the engaging projection 44 of the male member 22. The male member 22 is screwed into the female threaded portion 71 of the female member 21 by screwing the male threaded portion 43 of the male member 22 into the female threaded portion 71 of the female member 21.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2(c), the retaining portion 72 is formed to protrude radially around the entire circumference of the receiving hole 68 and has a trapezoidal cross-section. The right side 72a of the retaining portion 72 is a locking surface that engages with the left side 44a of the engaging projection 44 of the male member 22 in the direction of separation of the male member 22 from the female member 21 (left direction). The right side 72a contacts the left side 44a of the engaging projection 44 and locks the engaging projection 44 in that separation direction, thereby restricting the separation of the male member 22 from the female member 21. In this way, by providing a portion that connects the female member 21 and the male member 22 separately from the screw portions 43 and 71, even if the screwing of the screw portions 43 and 71 is loosened and the screwing of the screw portions 43 and 71 is disengaged, it is possible to suppress the separation of the female member 21 from the male member 22, thereby preventing the female member 21 from separating from the male member 22 unintentionally. Furthermore, even if the threaded portions 43 and 71 become disengaged, it is preferable that the distance between the female threaded portion 71 and the retaining portion 72 be greater than or equal to the length of the male threaded portion 43, in order to prevent the female member 21 from separating from the male member 22.

[0029] Furthermore, the right side 72a of the retaining portion 72 is an inclined surface that slopes radially inward toward the left (separation direction). Therefore, by strongly pulling the male member 22 in the separation direction relative to the female member 21, the male member 22 can be intentionally separated from the female member 21.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2, the seating portion 67 has a seating surface 67a that is formed in an inclined shape (tapered hole shape) that slopes radially outward toward the left, and the O-ring 23 is seated on this seating surface 67a. That is, the seating surface 67a of the seating portion 67 is formed in an inclined shape that is tilted toward the medical tube 11 from a plane parallel to the pressing surface 51a of the pressing portion 42. As shown in Figure 4(a), the pressing surface 51a of the pressing portion 42 is formed parallel to the shear direction, and the seating surface 67a of the O-ring 23 is an inclined surface that is tilted toward the medical tube 11. When the O-ring 23 seated on the seating surface 67a is pressed by the pressing portion 42, stress is generated on the O-ring 23 toward the medical tube 11, and the O-ring 23 deforms significantly toward the medical tube 11. This allows the medical tube 11 to be firmly fixed.

[0031] Furthermore, the female component 21 is made of a translucent resin material and has a light-transmitting structure. This allows the medical tube 11 and O-ring 23 inside the female component 21 to be visible.

[0032] Next, with reference to Figure 6, the tube attachment operation for attaching the medical tube 11 to the tube connector 12 will be described. As shown in Figure 6(a), this tube attachment operation is performed with the female member 21 and the male member 22 connected by the retaining portion 72. That is, the axial portion 32 of the male member 22 is received by the receiving hole 68 of the female member 21, and the engaging projection 44 is located to the right of the retaining portion 72.

[0033] In the tube installation operation, first, as shown in Figure 6(b), the tip of the medical tube 11 is inserted into the female member 21 and male member 22 through the insertion hole 66 of the female member 21, and the medical tube 11 is inserted through the hole of the O-ring 23. At this time, the tip of the medical tube 11 is aligned by bringing it into contact with the tube regulating part 56. Furthermore, since the female member 21 and male member 22 are translucent, the position of the tip of the medical tube 11 can be visually confirmed while aligning it.

[0034] Once the medical tube 11 is inserted, the O-ring 23 secures the medical tube 11 by screwing the male member 22 onto the female member 21, as shown in Figure 6(c). That is, when the male member 22 is screwed onto the female member 21 by the male threaded portion 43 and the female threaded portion 71, the pressing portion 42 presses the O-ring 23, and this pressure deforms the O-ring 23 inward, securing the medical tube 11 through which the O-ring 23 is inserted. At this time, the pressing surface 51a of the pressing portion 42 (six pressing elements 51) is parallel to the shear direction, while the seating surface 67a of the seating portion 67 is formed inclined, which promotes the radial inward deformation of the O-ring 23, as shown in Figure 4(a), and firmly secures the medical tube 11. Furthermore, by pressing the O-ring 23 with six pressers 51 arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, the O-ring 23 deforms significantly radially inward only at the positions of the pressers 51, as shown in Figure 4(b). As a result, the O-ring 23 presses against the outer surface of the medical tube 11 only at the positions corresponding to the pressers 51, allowing the material of the medical tube 11 to escape to the unpressed areas (areas corresponding to the intervals), thus preventing the medical tube 11 from becoming blocked. This completes the tube installation operation.

[0035] (Effects and Effects of the Embodiment) As described above, according to the configuration of the embodiment, by forming screw-fitting gripping portions 37 and 62 on the outer circumferential surface 61 of the female member 21 and the outer circumferential surface 36 of the male member 22 at positions spaced apart from the ends on the sides closest to each other, it is possible to avoid the fingers of the hands that are gripping the female member 21 and the male member 22 bumping into each other and getting caught, and it is possible to screw the male member 22 into the female member 21.

[0036] Furthermore, since the outer circumferential surface 61 of the female member 21 and the outer circumferential surface 36 of the male member 22 are tapered on the sides that are close to each other, a connector gripping portion can be formed in the left-right center of the tube connector 12 for gripping the tube connector 12 as a whole. This makes it easier to grip the joined female member 21 and male member 22 as a whole.

[0037] Furthermore, by separately forming the screwing gripping portions 37 and 62 for screwing the male member 22 into the female member 21 and the connector gripping portion for gripping the tube connector 12 as a whole, it is possible to realize a tube connector 12 that makes it easy to screw the male member 22 into the female member 21 and easy to grip the joined female member 21 and male member 22 as a whole.

[0038] Furthermore, by making the outer circumferential surfaces 61 of the female member 21 and 36 of the male member 22 circular in shape at the adjacent ends, it is possible to avoid the user being guided to align the rotational positions of the female member 21 and the male member 22 when screwing the male member 22 into the female member 21. In other words, if the outer circumferential surfaces 61 of the female member 21 and 36 of the male member 22 are non-circular and identical in shape at the adjacent ends, the user tends to be guided to align the rotational positions of the female member 21 and the male member 22. As a result, there was a problem in that the amount of screwing the male member 22 into the female member 21 deviated from the optimal value. In contrast, in the above embodiment, the outer circumferential surface 61 of the female member 21 and the outer circumferential surface 36 of the male member 22 are made circular in shape at the adjacent ends. This prevents the user from being guided to align the rotational positions of the female member 21 and the male member 22 when screwing the male member 22 into the female member 21, thereby preventing the amount of screwing of the male member 22 into the female member 21 from deviating from the optimal value.

[0039] (Regarding other embodiments) Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. Furthermore, it should be noted that not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential for solving the problem of the invention. The present invention can be implemented with appropriate modifications without departing from its spirit.

[0040] For example, in the above embodiment, the screw-fitting gripping portions 37 and 62 were configured by a plurality of recesses 37a and 62a arranged in the circumferential direction, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the screw-fitting gripping portions 37 and 62 may be configured by a plurality of protrusions arranged in the circumferential direction, or the screw-fitting gripping portions 37 and 62 may be configured by a plurality of alternately arranged recesses and protrusions in the circumferential direction.

[0041] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the tapered shape of the female member 21 and the male member 22 formed a tubular connector gripping portion when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the tapered shape of the female member 21 and the male member 22 may form a "V" shape or a "U" shape connector gripping portion when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, or an inverted trapezoidal connector gripping portion when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the side to which the medical tube 11 is connected is a female member 21 and the side to which the medical device D is connected is a male member 22. However, it is also possible to configure the side to which the medical device D is connected to be a female member 21 and the side to which the medical tube 11 is connected to be a male member 22.

[0043] Furthermore, while the above embodiments illustrate drainage tubes 1 and tube connectors 12 used in endoscopic biliary / pancreatic duct drainage procedures, the present invention is not limited to these. In other words, the present invention may also be applied to tubes 1 and tube connectors 12 used for purposes other than drainage.

[0044] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a catheter introduced into the patient's body was exemplified as the medical tube 11, but the present invention may also be applied to a medical tube 11 used outside the body. That is, the present invention may be applied to a tube 1 with a connector for a medical tube 11 used outside the body, or to a tube connector 12 for a medical tube 11 used outside the body. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1: Tube with connector, 11: Medical tube, 12: Tube connector, 21: Female component, 22: Male component, 23: O-ring, 36: Outer surface, 37: Threading grip, 37a: Recess, 61: Outer surface, 62: Threading grip, 62a: Recess, D: Medical device

Claims

1. A tube connector for connecting medical tubing to medical equipment, The first member into which the aforementioned medical tube is inserted, A second member that screws onto the first member, The device comprises a packing housed in the first member, which deforms as the second member is screwed into the first member, and which secures the medical tube by the deformation, A tube connector characterized in that the outer circumferential surface of the first member and the outer circumferential surface of the second member have screw-fitting portions formed at positions spaced apart from the ends on the adjacent sides of each other, for screwing the second member onto the first member.

2. The tube connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer circumferential surfaces of the first member and the second member are tapered on the sides that are close to each other.

3. The tube connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the screw-fitting gripping portion is composed of a plurality of recesses arranged in the circumferential direction.

4. The device comprises a medical tube and a tube connector for connecting the medical tube to a medical device. The aforementioned tube connector is The first member into which the aforementioned medical tube is inserted, A second member that screws onto the first member, The device comprises a packing housed in the first member, which deforms as the second member is screwed into the first member, and which secures the medical tube by the deformation, A tube with a connector, characterized in that the outer circumferential surface of the first member and the outer circumferential surface of the second member have screw-fitting portions formed at positions spaced apart from the ends on the sides closest to each other, for screwing the second member onto the first member.

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