Medical device connectors

Abstract

To enable easy and secure manufacturing of a connector with highly reliable waterproof performance even if the connector has a housing including an opening.SOLUTION: A connector for a medical device has a housing in which a connection part for connecting with a mating connector is disposed at an opening. The housing having the opening has a first case and a second case which are joined to sandwich the connection part. In the housing, a seam between the first case and the second case is joined by ultrasonic welding in a state that a waterproof part is provided between the opening and the connection part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector, and particularly to a connector for medical equipment having a waterproof function. [Background Art]

[0002] Conventionally, as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1, when acquiring biological information such as an electrocardiogram, a lead cord that branches a cable led out from the main body of a biological information measuring device into a plurality of lead cords is used. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 54-004594 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] Since electrocardiographic measurement is performed in an environment where liquids such as chemicals and sweat exist around the relay connector, waterproofing is required for the entire connection cable extending from a device including the relay connector to an electrode led out therefrom.

[0005] A conventional relay connector structurally has an opening from which a connected lead cord or cable is led out. Therefore, there has been a demand for easily manufacturing a connector main body as a watertight hollow housing with as few processes as possible, including waterproofing of this opening portion.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector for medical equipment that has high reliability in waterproof performance even in a housing having an opening, and can be reliably and easily manufactured. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0007] One aspect of the connector for medical equipment of the present invention is: In a medical device connector having a housing in which a connecting portion for connecting to a mating connector is positioned in an opening, The housing has a first case and a second case that are joined so as to sandwich the connecting portion, The joint between the first case and the second case is joined by ultrasonic welding, with a waterproof section between the opening and the connecting part. Occasionally, The waterproof portion is annular in shape and is positioned inside the opening to surround the connecting portion. Adopt a structure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, even housings with openings can be manufactured easily and reliably with high reliability in terms of waterproof performance. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the external appearance of a medical device connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a front view of a connector for a medical device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a plan view showing a medical device connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the first case omitted. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the medical device connector according to an embodiment of the present invention with the first case removed. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 3. [Figure 6] Figures 6A and 6B are enlarged cross-sectional views showing the waterproof structure of the front and rear ends shown in Figure 5. [Figure 7] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along line BB. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Figure 1 is an external perspective view of a medical device connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a front view of a medical device connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3 is a plan view of a medical device connector according to an embodiment of the present invention with the first case omitted.

[0012] In this embodiment, the expressions indicating directions such as front (tip), rear, left, and right used to describe the configuration and operation of each part of the medical device connector are relative, not absolute. The above expressions are appropriate when each part of the medical device connector is in the position shown in the figure, but should be changed and interpreted accordingly if the position changes. Here, the direction on which the connector is connected to the mating connector is referred to as the front (tip) side or front side, and the end opposite to the tip is referred to as the rear end or base end. Also, as shown in Figure 2, the arc-shaped side is defined as the upper side and the opposite side as the lower side or bottom side when describing the shape of the terminal insertion hole on the front of the medical device connector.

[0013] <Overall Structure> The medical device connector (hereinafter referred to as "connector") 30 is a connector used in an induction cord 10 that branches a single cord into multiple cords by connecting it to a mating connector. The medical device connector 30 branches the connected cord into multiple cords, each having multiple wires. Although it is referred to as a medical device connector, it may also be used as a household connector.

[0014] The connector 30 shown in Figures 1 to 3 is used, for example, on the electrode side of a guide cord 10 that connects a biological information measuring device (not shown) to an electrode such as a chest electrode attached to the patient's body when measuring biological information.

[0015] The connector 30 includes a housing 40. The tip end of a contact 60 corresponding to a mating contact is disposed within the tip portion 32 of the housing 40. Inside the housing 40, the contact 60 is electrically connected to an electric wire 24 (see Fig. 5) of a cord 22 within a single cord (multi-core cord 20) corresponding to the contact 60. The joining between the contact 60 and the electric wire 24 at the tip end of the cord 22 is mainly performed by crimping, but may also be performed by soldering or crimping-soldering.

[0016] The housing 40 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and recesses are formed on both side surfaces to make it easy for a user to grip with fingers. The single cord is the multi-core cord 20 connected to a biological information measuring apparatus (not shown), and the end portion of the multi-core cord 20 is connected to the rear end portion 34 of the housing 40 and led out from the rear end portion 34. A bush 90 is fitted externally onto the end portion of the multi-core cord 20, and the bush 90 is fitted to the opening edge of the rear end portion 34 so as not to come off.

[0017] Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where a first case is removed from the connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Fig. 3. Further, Fig. 6A is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the waterproof structure of the tip portion of the connector shown in Fig. 5, and Fig. 6B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the waterproof structure of the rear end portion of the connector.

[0018] The connector 30 includes a first case 42 and a second case 44 that constitute the housing 40, a housing 50, the contact 60 serving as a connection terminal, a shell 70, and an elastic annular portion 80.

[0019] The connector 30 connects, for example, the signal line and ground line of the connected multi-core cord 20 to the signal line and ground line of each of a plurality of lead cords (not shown). Although the number of cords connected to the multi-core cord 20 via the connector 30 is three lead cords each having one signal line and one ground line, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the connector may be a connector that connects one cord having a plurality of electric wires, two cords, or four or more cords.

[0020] In the connector 30, the housing 50, which opens at the tip opening 52, is attached to the tip openings (other-end openings) 422, 442 of the housing 40, which is formed in a rectangular shape by joining the first case 42 and the second case 44.

[0021] <Enclosure 40> The housing 40, together with the elastic annular portion 80, houses the main connector components of the housing 50, such as the housing body 54, contacts 60, shell 70, and each of the cords 22 of the multi-core cord 20, in a state of enhanced watertightness.

[0022] In the housing 40, a first case 42 and a second case 44 are provided so as to sandwich the main part of the connector. The joint between the first case 42 and the second case 44 is joined in a watertight manner by ultrasonic vibration (ultrasonic welding), and has an ultrasonic welded portion (hereinafter referred to as "welded portion") 45.

[0023] The welded portion 45 is composed of a joint (seam) where the first case 42 and the second case 44 are joined in opposing directions. The welded portion 45 has a first circumferential wall end portion 426 and a second circumferential wall end portion 446, which are provided on the leading edges of the circumferential wall portions and constitute a joint.

[0024] The first circumferential wall end 426 and the second circumferential wall end 446 have shapes that correspond to each other in the joining direction, and are arranged together with the front end openings (422, 442) and the rear end openings (427, 447) to surround the internal space, as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

[0025] The first peripheral wall end 426 is provided with a rail-shaped projection 428 along the direction of extension of the first peripheral wall end 426, and the second peripheral wall end 446 is provided with an engagement groove 448 that engages with the projection 428.

[0026] For example, the protruding portion 428 has a rectangular cross-section, and the engaging groove 448 has a V-shaped cross-section (see Figure 7). When the first circumferential wall end portion 426 and the second circumferential wall end portion 446 are fitted together, the protruding portion 428 is positioned within the engaging groove 448.

[0027] Preferably, the first circumferential wall end portion 426 and the second circumferential wall end portion 446 are configured such that after the protruding portion 428 abuts against the engagement groove 448, both the first case 42 and the second case 44 (for example, the first case 42) abut against the elastic annular portion 80.

[0028] As a result, when joining the first case 42 and the second case 44 by ultrasonic vibration welding, the elastic annular portion 80 can be deformed after welding has begun while the first case 42 and the second case 44 are in contact with each other, allowing the connector 30 to be manufactured more quickly.

[0029] Furthermore, a concave notch is formed at the rear end portion 34, and the engaging end portion 92 through which the multi-core cord 20 is inserted engages with this notch.

[0030] The engaging end 92 is fixed in a tightly fitted state by being sandwiched between the rear end openings (one-end openings) 427 and 447 of the first case 42 and the second case 44. The bottom surface of the neck 94, which is formed in a concave shape and extends circumferentially adjacent to the engaging end 92 at the base end, is provided with an annular projection 84 that engages in a watertight manner.

[0031] The annular projection 84 is interposed as part of the bush 90 between the rear end openings (one-end openings) 427, 447 and the end of the multi-core cord 20.

[0032] The annular projection (another packing material) 84, like the bush 90, is elastic and is pressed against the inner circumferential surface of the rear end openings 427 and 447 of the first case 42 and the second case 44, deforming and fixing in place. This seals the space between the bush 90 and the rear end openings 427 and 447, and consequently, the space between the rear end openings 427 and 447 and the multi-core cord 20, providing a watertight seal and waterproofing. The annular projection 84 is provided integrally with the bush 90, but is not limited to this; an O-ring or the like may be used as a separate packing material.

[0033] The first circumferential wall end 426 and the second circumferential wall end 446 are joined by ultrasonic welding, so that the first case 42 and the second case 44 are watertightly fixed to the outer circumference of the housing 50 by being pressed against it via the elastic annular portion 80 at the tip end of the connector 30. At the base end, the first case 42 and the second case 44 are watertightly fixed to the bush 90 which is fitted onto the multi-core cord 20 by deforming the annular projection 84.

[0034] The first circumferential wall end 426 and the second circumferential wall end 446 are arranged in the same plane and are not provided in the vertical direction, for example. More specifically, in the housing 40, the welded portion 45 is provided on both side wall portions of the housing 40 and on the portion that fits and accommodates the engaging end 92 of the bush 90 on the rear end wall side.

[0035] The openings 422 and 442 at the tip ends of the first case 42 and the second case 44 are closed by the housing 50 being fitted into them via the elastic annular portion 80.

[0036] Specifically, a ring groove 58 is provided on the outer surface of the housing 50, extending circumferentially at the joint between the housing body 54 and the tip opening 52, and a ring-shaped elastic annular portion 80 is arranged in the circumferential direction within this ring groove 58.

[0037] The opening 422 is provided with a pressing projection 429 that protrudes inward and downward. The pressing projection 429 extends circumferentially around the inner circumference of the opening 422 and presses against the elastic annular portion 80 to ensure watertightness between the housing body 54 and the first case 42. Although not shown, the opening 442 of the second case 44 is also provided with a pressing projection 449 (see Figure 3) similar to the pressing projection 429 of the first case 42.

[0038] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view along line BB in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 7, the elastic annular portion 80 is positioned within a ring groove 58 that surrounds the housing body 54, and is arranged to surround the housing body 54.

[0039] A rib 56 extending in the circumferential direction is provided on the bottom surface of the ring groove 58. Due to this rib 56, the elastic annular portion 80 makes line contact with the rib 56 within the ring groove 58. This reduces the contact area between the elastic annular portion 80 and the housing body 54, thereby reducing the reaction force during welding.

[0040] <Elastic annular portion 80> The elastic annular portion 80 is a waterproof portion, for example, a packing, and is flexible and elastically deformable to seal the space between the members sandwiching the elastic annular portion 80, thereby providing waterproofing between them. The elastic annular portion 80 has a waterproofing function and is, for example, an annular elastic body such as an O-ring. The elastic annular portion 80 is attached to the ring groove 58 of the housing 50. The elastic annular portion 80 is interposed between the tip-side openings (422, 442) and the housing body 54. The elastic annular portion 80 is arranged so as to be sandwiched between the first case 42 and the second case 44 and the housing 50 in the same direction as the welding direction when the first case 42 and the second case 44 are welded together. The elastic annular portion 80 may also be provided integrally with the housing 50.

[0041] <Housing 50> The housing 50 is insulating and made of resin or the like, and has a tip opening 52 and a housing body 54 that is continuous with the tip opening 52, and holds the contact 60 inside the housing body 54.

[0042] The tip opening 52 is formed in the shape of a rectangular frame when viewed from the front, and is formed in the shape of a flange that is larger in outer diameter than the housing body 54 at the tip side of the housing body 54. The housing body 54 is placed in the openings 422 and 442 at the tip side of the housing 40 to form a connector connection part that opens at the tip portion 32 of the connector 30. In addition, the multi-core cord 20 is led out from the bush 90 connected to the opening at the rear end side of the housing 40. The rear end of the housing 40 is the rear end portion 34 of the connector 30.

[0043] The tip opening 52 is formed in a concave shape on the tip surface of the tip portion 32 of the connector 30 and is designed to mate with the mating connector.

[0044] On the exterior, a ring-shaped elastic annular portion 80 is fitted onto the connection between the tip opening 52 and the housing body 54. This ensures waterproofing between the tip opening 52 of the housing 50 and the casing 40, preventing water from entering the casing.

[0045] Within the tip opening 52 of the housing 50, connection spaces are provided by separating the left and right contacts, with the upper and lower contacts 60 forming a pair. Each connection space 53 is a connection space for each guide cord to be connected.

[0046] Each contact (e.g., a contact pin) 60 is connected to a mating contact (e.g., a terminal with a pin hole) in the connector of the induction cord that is connected to an electrode (not shown).

[0047] In the housing 50, the upper contacts 60 are each connected to a signal-transmitting wire 24 that protrudes from the lead cord 22 of the multi-core cord 20. The lower contacts 60 in the housing 50 are electrically connected to the shield 23 of the multi-core cord 20 via a spring connection 76 of the lower shell (second shell) 74 and an upper shell (first shell) 72 that is joined to the lower shell 74. Since the ground is common to all inductive cords, it is connected to a single shield 23.

[0048] The spring connector 76 elastically deforms to connect the lower shell 74 and the contact 60. The spring connector 76 is preferably made of a leaf spring or the like. The spring connector 76 is formed continuously with the lower shell 74.

[0049] The lower shell 74 and the upper shell 72 engage to form a rectangular tubular shell 70, which covers the rear of the housing body 54 within the enclosure 40. The shell 70 covers the joint between the contact 60 and the electric wire 24, and the contact portion between the contact 60 and the spring connector 76, and functions as an electromagnetic shield.

[0050] The upper shell 72 is positioned to cover the housing body 54 from above and has a strip-shaped connecting piece 77 protruding from its rear end. The strip-shaped connecting piece 77 is tightly fixed onto a conductive tape 25 wrapped around the outer surface of a shield 23 located on the outer circumferential surface of the end of the multi-core cord 20. As shown in Figure 5, the strip-shaped connecting piece 77 is positioned on the conductive tape 25 on the outer surface of the multi-core cord 20 and is wound and tightened together with the multi-core cord 20 using a band 28. As a result, the upper shell 72 is electrically connected to the shield 23 of the multi-core cord 20 and is in a conductive state.

[0051] <Effects> In the housing 40 formed by combining the first case 42 and the second case 44, the tip openings 52 of the housing 50 that constitute the tip portion 32 of the connector 30 are adjacent at the tip end. In this embodiment, the front opening 52 of the housing 50 is adjacent to the front end of the housing 40, which consists of the first case 42 and the second case 44. That is, this interface is in a direction perpendicular to and different from the welding direction of the welded portion 45 of the first case 42 and the second case 44.

[0052] The housing 40 is provided in a watertight manner at the front end of the housing 40 by ultrasonic welding portions 45 of the first circumferential wall ends 426 and the second circumferential wall ends 446, which are opposite each other, with the elastic annular portion 80 sandwiched between the first case 42 and the second case 44 in the direction in which they are joined, that is, in the welding direction.

[0053] In addition, in this embodiment, the annular projection 84 of the bush 90 that leads out the multi-core cord 20 is sandwiched in the welding direction at the base end, and the housing 40 is provided in a watertight manner by ultrasonic welding at the tip end and rear end of the connector 30, sandwiching the elastic annular portion 80 and the annular projection 84, respectively.

[0054] When the first circumferential wall end 426 of the first case 42 and the second circumferential wall end 446 of the second case 44 are joined together, the protruding portion 428 is positioned within the engagement groove 448. Here, when the protruding portion 428 abuts against the engagement groove 448, one of the first case 42 and the second case 44 is not in contact with the elastic annular portion 80 or the annular projection 84. Since ultrasonic vibration fixes one case and vibrates the other case to weld it, welding begins before the elastic annular portion 80 or the annular projection 84, such as an O-ring, is crushed, allowing for a suitable joint across the entire first circumferential wall end 426 and the second circumferential wall end 446.

[0055] This allows the elastic annular portion 80 to be deformed after welding when joining the first case 42 and the second case 44 by ultrasonic vibration welding, enabling faster connector manufacturing.

[0056] Furthermore, a connector with a highly waterproof housing can be manufactured by ultrasonic vibration welding in only one direction, eliminating the need to perform multiple ultrasonic welding operations by changing the direction of vibration.

[0057] In addition, the first case 42 and the second case 44 are joined using packing material such as an elastic annular portion 80 and an annular projection 84 at both the tip and base ends of the connector, but this is not limited to this. As a waterproof structure, packing material may be used only at one of the tip and base ends of the connector 30, and the other end may not use packing material and be fixed by ultrasonic welding.

[0058] Furthermore, the elastic annular portion 80 is configured to adhere tightly to both the housing body 54 and the first case 42 and the second case 44 by deformation in the pressing direction from either the first case 42 or the second case 44, but this is not limited to this configuration. For example, the shape of the openings 422 and 442 of the first case 42 and the second case 44 may be such that the elastic annular portion 80, such as an O-ring, is pressed toward the tip in both the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0059] Embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It should be noted that the above description illustrates preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. In other words, the description of the configuration of the apparatus and the shape of each part is merely an example, and it is clear that various modifications and additions to these examples are possible within the scope of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0060] The connector according to the present invention has the advantage of being easy to manufacture even when relaying multiple electric wires, and is useful as a connector for branching a cord into multiple parts. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0061] 10 Guidance Code 20 Multi-core cord (cord) 22 Codes 23 Shields 24 Electric wire 25 Conductive Tape 28 bands 30 Connectors (Connectors for medical devices) 32 Tip 34 Rear end 40 cabinets 42 Case 1 44. Case 2 45 Ultrasonic welding part (welding part) 50 Housing (connection part) 52 Tip opening 53 Connection Spaces 54 Housing body 56 Ribs 58 Ring groove 60 contacts 70 shells 72 First Shell 74 (2nd shell) 76 Spring connection 77 Strip-shaped connecting piece 80 Elastic annular section (waterproof section) 84. Annular projection (waterproofing part, separate gasket material) 90 Bush 92 Engagement end 94 Neck 422, 427, 442, 447 Openings 426 First peripheral wall end 428 Projection part 429, 449 Pressing protrusions 446 Second peripheral wall end 448 Engagement groove

Claims

1. In a medical device connector having a housing in which a connecting portion for connecting to a mating connector is positioned in an opening, The housing has a first case and a second case joined together so as to sandwich the connecting portion. The joint between the first case and the second case is joined by ultrasonic welding, with a waterproof section between the opening and the connecting portion. The waterproof portion is annular in shape and is positioned inside the opening to surround the connecting portion. Connectors for medical devices.

2. The aforementioned waterproof part is an annular packing material. A connector for medical devices according to claim 1.

3. The connecting portion has ribs that protrude circumferentially from the outer surface and make linear contact with the annular packing material. A connector for medical devices according to claim 2.

4. The housing has a cord opening where the cord end is placed, A bushing, which has another packing material that abuts against the inner surface of the cord opening, is fitted onto the outer circumference of the cord end. The first case and the second case are joined together with the bush in between. A connector for medical devices according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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