Fluid Connector With Locking Rotation Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical connectors risk accidental disconnection during fluid transfer, posing contamination risks, especially with toxic fluids, and can induce undesirable twists in medical lines.
Innovation Solution
A connector design featuring a locking and rotation-enabling element that remains non-rotatable until a second fluid container is connected, allowing irreversible free rotation once activated, preventing accidental disconnection and minimizing line twists through a mechanism involving protrusions and cavities or a snap fit mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the male luer-lock element is freely screwed into and unscrewed from the female luer-lock element, then the connector is easy to assemble and disassemble, but the connector components may be accidentally or inadvertently unscrewed, leading to disconnection and contamination risk
Solution Approach 1:
The connector transitions from a static locked state to a dynamic rotatable state. The first and second components are arranged to be non-rotatably connected before a fluid container is connected, then become rotatable after connection. This dynamic state change prevents accidental disconnection while allowing intentional repositioning, resolving the contradiction between connection stability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector pre-arranges the components in a non-rotatable connected state before fluid container attachment. This preliminary configuration ensures connection stability is established in advance, preventing accidental unscrewing during subsequent handling operations.
2Reliability
If the connector components are non-disconnectable once connected, then the connection stability is improved, but the connector may induce an undesirable twist in the medical line when a second fluid container is secured
Solution Approach 1:
The connector allows rotation between components after fluid container connection, providing flexibility in positioning without compromising connection stability. The rotatable mechanism enables the medical line to be repositioned or twisted corrections to be made while maintaining the secured connection, resolving the contradiction between connection stability and positioning flexibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the locking and rotation-enabling element enables free rotation after activation, then the connector can accommodate line twists and repositioning, but the complexity of the connector structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into distinct functional components: a first component, a second component, and a locking and rotation-enabling element. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall design while achieving the desired rotation capability and adaptability.
Data Source
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AI summary
Connector (10) for enabling fluid transfer between a first fluid container (28) and a second fluid container, which connector (10) comprises a first component (12) that is arranged to be connected to a first fluid container (28) and a second component (14) that is arranged to be connected to a second fluid container. The first component (12) is arranged to be non-rotatably connected to said second component (14) before a second fluid container is connected to said second component (14) and/or before a first fluid container (28) is connected to the first component (12). The connector (10) comprises a locking and rotation-enabling element (16) that is arranged to be activated once a second fluid container has been connected to said second component (14), and/or once a first fluid container (28) has been connected to the first component (12), which locking and rotation- enabling element (16) enables the first component (12) and the second component (14) to rotate freely with respect to one another.