Conductive Connecting Piece for Dialysis Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connecting pieces for medical devices, such as dialysis units, fail to provide a secure and easy fluid connection while ensuring a separate electrical connection to the protective conductor or equipotential bonding system, and do not allow safe testing of the protective-conductor connection.
Innovation Solution
A connecting piece with a tubular body made of electrically conductive material, featuring end pieces for fluid line attachment and a terminal part for electrical connection to a protective conductor or equipotential bonding system, which is separate from the mechanical connection, along with a flange and securing parts for secure mechanical attachment and insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the connecting piece uses a tubular body made of electrically conductive material for mechanical connection to the housing, then the mechanical connection is established, but the electrical connection to the protective conductor cannot be separately ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting piece is divided into functionally independent parts: the tubular body for mechanical connection and the terminal part for electrical connection. This segmentation allows each part to fulfill its specific function independently, ensuring that mechanical connection and electrical connection are separate and can be tested separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal part acts as an intermediary element that provides a dedicated connection point for the protective conductor. This intermediary structure enables separate electrical connection without compromising the mechanical connection integrity, and allows for independent testing of the protective conductor connection.
2Reliability
If the mechanical connection between the connecting piece and housing is made secure, then the fluid connection is reliable, but the resistance testing of the protective-conductor connection is interfered with
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the mechanical connection function (tubular body) from the electrical connection function (terminal part), the invention enables independent testing of the protective conductor connection without interference from the mechanical connection path. This segmentation allows for precise resistance measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical connection function is extracted from the mechanical connection structure and placed in a separate terminal part. This extraction allows the resistance testing to be performed on the protective conductor connection without the interference of the mechanical connection path, ensuring accurate measurement.
3Ease of operation
If a separate terminal part for electrical connection is added to the connecting piece, then the protective-conductor connection can be tested, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal part is integrated into the connecting piece structure, merging the electrical connection function with the existing mechanical connection component. This integration allows for protective conductor testing capability while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity through unified design.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a connecting piece for establishing a fluid connection between fluid-conducting lines for installation in a cut-out in a housing part of a medical device, in particular a dialysis unit. Furthermore, the invention relates to a medical device, in particular a dialysis unit, comprising a housing that comprises a housing part having a cut-out into which a connecting piece of this type is inserted. The connecting piece 13 according to the invention comprises a tubular body 18 that is made of an electrically conductive material and can be inserted into the cut-out 23 in the housing part 1A, the end pieces 19, 20 of which body are designed for the attachment of the fluid-conducting lines. The connecting piece 13 is distinguished by a terminal part 16 for attaching an electrical protective conductor or equipotential bonding system, the terminal part 16 being electrically conductively connectable or connected to the tubular body 18. The terminal part 16 allows an electrical connection cable 17 to be directly attached to a protective conductor 15 (PE conductor).