Rotating Medical Connector Preventing Tube Kinking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical connectors often result in twisting of fluid container elements during connection, leading to risks such as torsional kinking and occlusions, particularly in flexible tubes used in extracorporeal blood circuits.
Innovation Solution
A medical connector design featuring a female luer connector with a freely rotatable external tubular body and an internal tubular body, where the external body can screw without rotating the internal fluid-sealed surface, utilizing a radial projection and stop surfaces to ensure secure and stable connection without twisting the tube.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional female luer connector is used to connect fluid container elements, then the connection can be established, but the tube may twist during connection causing torsional kinking and occlusions
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into two independent rotatable components: an internal sleeve that remains stationary relative to the tube, and an external sleeve that rotates during connection. This segmentation allows the external sleeve to rotate without twisting the tube, while still achieving secure connection through the interaction between the two sleeves
Solution Approach 2:
The internal sleeve acts as an intermediary element between the tube and the external sleeve. It provides a stable, non-rotating interface with the tube while allowing the external sleeve to rotate independently around it, thereby mediating the connection process without transmitting rotational torque to the tube
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the connector allows rotation during connection, then twisting is avoided, but the connection stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The internal sleeve is pre-positioned and secured to the tube before the connection process begins. The stop surface is pre-formed on the internal sleeve to engage with the radial projection, ensuring that once the external sleeve is rotated into position, the connection is immediately stabilized without requiring additional actions
Solution Approach 2:
The connector transitions from a static design to a dynamic one where the external sleeve can rotate relative to the internal sleeve during connection. This dynamic capability allows the connector to adapt during the connection process, enabling rotation to prevent twisting while maintaining stability through the defined mechanical stops
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a complex mechanism with multiple rotatable parts is used, then twisting is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotational freedom is extracted and isolated to only the external sleeve, while the internal sleeve maintains a simple, fixed structure relative to the tube. This extraction prevents the need for complex mechanisms throughout the entire connector, as only the external sleeve requires rotational capability
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the connector have different rotational properties: the internal sleeve has fixed local quality relative to the tube, while the external sleeve has rotatable local quality. This localized differentiation allows the connector to achieve twisting prevention without requiring complex mechanisms throughout the entire structure
Data Source
AI summary
A medical connector, of a female luer type, comprises an external tubular body (4) which contains an internal tubular body (2) free to rotate about an axis thereof. The external tubular body exhibits a screw-coupling surface. The internal tubular body exhibits a conical luer seal surface. An insert (5), which has a pawl (9) snap-fitted in a window (8) afforded on the external tubular body, constrains the two tubular bodies solidly to one another, in an axial displacement direction. The connector is used to connect a blood line to a blood port of a dialyser, preventing the blood line from twisting on itself and kinking.