Medical Connector Locking Mechanism for Secure Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical connectors with claw engagement portions can experience unintended displacement during connection, particularly when the claws climb over stepped portions, leading to potential misalignment and separation issues, such as a catheter end being displaced from a blood vessel.
Innovation Solution
A medical connector design featuring a locking portion with a cylinder wall that slides and presses claws to set a locked state, eliminating the need for claws to climb over stepped portions, thereby preventing unintended displacement while ensuring easy connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If claws are used as the engagement portion to enable easy connection by simply inserting the male connector portion, then the connection operation becomes simple, but unintended displacement of the other medical connector may occur when the claws climb over the stepped portion
Solution Approach 1:
The locking portion is designed to slide along the cylinder wall before the claws reach the stepped portion, preliminarily establishing a locked state that prevents unintended displacement. This preliminary action ensures the male connector portion is securely positioned before the claws complete their climbing motion, thereby maintaining connector stability throughout the connection process.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylinder wall provides a guiding and cushioning surface for the locking portion during its sliding motion. This beforehand cushioning mechanism absorbs and controls the forces generated when claws climb over the stepped portion, preventing sudden displacements and ensuring smooth, controlled connection while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If a screw is used as the engagement portion to securely fix the male connector portion, then connection reliability is improved, but the connection operation becomes complex requiring two steps
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the functions of the screw (secure fixation) and the simple insert mechanism into a single integrated system. The locking portion sliding along the cylinder wall combines with the claw engagement to achieve both secure fixation and operational simplicity in one action, eliminating the need for separate insertion and fixation steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking portion automatically engages with the cylinder wall and slides into the locked position during the insertion process itself. This self-service mechanism provides secure fixation without requiring additional manual operations, as the connector self-locks upon insertion while maintaining ease of operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design effectively suppresses unintended displacement of medical connectors during connection, maintaining secure attachment without complex multi-step operations and ensuring reliable positioning of medical devices like catheters.
Implementation Method 1
the locking portion includes a cylinder wall which surrounds the plurality of claws and a locking protrusion which is formed at an inner peripheral surface of the cylinder wall. When the male connector portion is inserted into the female connector portion, the cylinder wall slides while being pressed by the other medical connector and the locking protrusion presses the plurality of claws to elastically deform the claws
Data Source
AI summary
A medical connector includes a male connector portion, an engagement portion, and a locking portion that slides on the engagement portion to set a locked state in which the engagement portion is inhibited from being pulled out of another medical connector when the male connector portion is inserted into a female connector portion of the other medical connector.