Torque Limiting Closure Assembly for Medical Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional closure assemblies for medical connectors often fail to provide adequate tightness to prevent leakage while avoiding over-tightening, which can cause discomfort and inconvenience, and lack features to indicate proper attachment and prevent unauthorized access.
Innovation Solution
A closure assembly with torque limiting capabilities, featuring a housing with a stop member and a flow restrictor that rotates within the housing, providing an audible indication of sufficient tightening and preventing over-tightening by disengaging from the movement restrictor once adequate torque is applied, along with a tamper-evident feature using a removable indicator ring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the closure assembly is tightened sufficiently to prevent leakage, then flow sealing is achieved, but over-tightening may cause discomfort and inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the mechanical parameter of torque by incorporating a torque-limiting mechanism that automatically disengages when a predetermined torque threshold is reached. This prevents over-tightening while ensuring sufficient sealing force is applied during the initial tightening phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism through an audible click or tactile sensation that signals to the user when the closure assembly has reached the optimal tightening point. This feedback loop allows the user to stop tightening at the correct moment, preventing both under-tightening (leakage) and over-tightening (discomfort).
2Strength
If the closure assembly is made secure and tight, then leakage is prevented, but over-tightening may occur causing discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the force parameter by introducing a torque-limiting mechanism that caps the maximum tightening force. The mechanism allows strong attachment up to a predetermined threshold, then automatically disengages to prevent excessive force that would cause discomfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates a torque-limiting mechanism that is pre-calibrated to disengage at a specific torque threshold. This preliminary action ensures that the closure assembly achieves sufficient tightness for secure attachment while automatically preventing any force beyond the safe limit before over-tightening can occur.
Data Source
AI summary
A closure assembly includes torque limit capabilities facilitating the attachment thereof to a medical connector with sufficient tightness to establish a flow stopping or sealing relation with the medical connector. A housing includes a stop member fixed on the interior thereof and rotatable there with into interruptive engagement with a movement restrictor connected to and movable with a closure cap which includes a flow restrictor. Application of a tightening force to the housing will cause rotation of the stop member into interruptive engagement with the movement restrictor and connected flow restrictor causing forced rotation of the flow restrictor onto attachment with the medical connector, while establishing a predetermined tightness. Over-tightening is prevented by disengagement of the stop member from will the movement restrictor or disconnection of the flow restrictor from the corresponding movement restrictor once the predetermined tightness has been established and upon a continuing tightening force being applied to the housing.