JPH11348126A - Tube connecting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tube connecting apparatus which makes the face of a tube cut by means of a cutting plate (a wafer) an orthogonal plane. SOLUTION: This tube connecting apparatus holds a plurality of flexible tubes by both the first tube holding tool 3 and the second tube holding tool 4 and after these tubes are heat-melted and cut between the first tube holding tool 3 and the second tube holding tool 4 by means of a cutting plate 7 with a resistance element for heat generation, the tubes are reversed and the cut faces of the tubes are connected with together by fusion and a holder 41 for mounting the cutting plate 7 in the orthogonal direction to the tubes held by the first tube holding tool 3 and the second tube holding tool 4 is provided. In this case, this holder 41 is moved up and down by means of a cam 69 rotating on the loading force line of the mounted cutting plate 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tube connecting apparatus for melting and cutting a flexible tube and welding and connecting the cut surfaces.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A tube connecting device is used to connect a transfer tube connected to a peritoneal cavity and a tube connected to a dialysis bag, for example, to provide a dialysate to the peritoneal cavity of a peritoneal dialysis patient. . An example of the connection operation of the tube connection device will be briefly described (see FIG. 7).
The two tubes 1 and 2 (refer to a state before cutting, not shown) are held in parallel at two places by a holder (not shown), and a cutting plate (hereinafter, referred to as a cutting plate) heated between them.
The wafer 7 is orthogonally melted and cut. Thereafter, one of the cutting tubes 1a and 2a is rotated half a turn so that the cut surface slides on the wafer 7. Then, when the cut surfaces of the different tubes (1a and 2b, 2a and 1b) are located coaxially, the wafer 7 is retracted and the cut surfaces of both tubes are pressed and welded, as shown in FIG. Tubes 9 and 10 are alternately joined.

[0003] The wafer 7 used in the tube connecting device is a single-use type which is replaced each time, and cuts the tube in a state of being placed in a holder 121 as shown in FIG. The center of the holder 121 is widely opened so as to cut the tube, and a feed groove 122 for feeding the wafer 7 for each connection operation is formed. Therefore, when replacing the wafer 7, the used wafer 7 is pushed out by the new wafer 7 sent in the X direction, and the new wafer 7 is loaded into the holder 121 at the position shown in the figure. The holder 121 is incorporated in a cutting mechanism for vertically moving the wafer 7 in a direction perpendicular to the tube. FIG. 10 is a side view showing an example of a cutting mechanism of the holder 121.

[0004] The holder 121 is fixed to the arm 131, and a cam follower 133 slidably inserted into a cam groove of a cam 132 is provided at the tip of the arm 131. Further, a holder 121 holding the wafer 7
Is swingably supported by a hinge 136 with respect to a mounting portion 135 to the main body 134. Therefore, the temperature of the wafer 7 in which the electrodes are brought into contact with the terminals 141 and 142 and energized is increased to a temperature sufficient for the internal resistor to generate heat and melt and cut the tube. On the other hand, the cam 132 is rotated by the rotation of the rotation shaft 137, and the cam follower 133 that rolls in the cam groove moves up and down. Therefore, the holder 121 swings around the hinge 136, and the heated wafer 7 is raised. When this occurs, the tube is melted and cut by the wafer 7.

[0005]

By the way, as described above, such a tube connecting device welds cut sections of different tubes 1 and 2 to form a new one of tubes 9 and 9.
Since it is set to 10, the cut surfaces to be joined must be orthogonal to the axial direction and parallel to each other. That is, when the cut surfaces 151 of the tubes 1 and 2 are inclined as shown in FIG. 11 (a), the cut tubes 1a and 2b which are reversed and arranged coaxially as shown in FIG. 11 (b). A portion close to the distance of the cut surface and a portion far from the cut surface are formed, and if they are joined in that state, a non-connection portion 153 is generated as shown in FIG. A problem arises in that the prescribed bonding strength cannot be obtained when the wire 152 is pulled from both.

[0006] Further, since the thickness of the wafer 7 is extremely small, ie, several hundred μm, even when the wafer 7 is applied to the tubes 1 and 2 at right angles, the thrust resistance in the tubes 1 and 2 causes the wafer 7 to be attached to the wafer 7. Buckling may occur. Therefore, if the tubes 1 and 2 are cut in such a state, the cut surface becomes non-uniform, and there is a problem that sufficient bonding strength cannot be obtained.

On the other hand, in order to eliminate such a connection failure, it is conceivable to melt the cut surface sufficiently and then press the both cut surfaces sufficiently close to each other to securely connect the tubes. However, in this method,
A lot of the melted part of the tube cut surface penetrates into the tube,
Many protrude outside the tube. Therefore, the inside of the tube increases the opening force of the tube, and the outside of the tube becomes burrs and causes uncomfortable feeling to the skin. In the tube connection device, the tube is crushed and flattened by a holder (not shown) as shown in FIG. 7 so that the liquid in the cut tube does not spill out, and the tube is cut and connected in the shape. for that reason,
Since the melted portions protruding inward are stuck together, the user applies a force to crush the connecting portion in the longitudinal direction and separate the stuck portions inside to open the tube. At this time, the force required to open the tube is called opening force. Therefore, if the opening force of the inner burr reaches several kilograms, a person with a weak fingertip does not spread sufficiently, causing a shortage of flow rate.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a tube connecting apparatus in which a cut surface of a tube by a cutting plate (wafer) is made an orthogonal surface in order to solve such a problem.

[0009]

According to the tube connecting device of the present invention, a plurality of flexible tubes are held by a first tube holder and a second tube holder, and the tubes are connected to the first tube holder and the second tube holder. After heating and melting with a cutting plate having a heating resistor between the two tube holders and cutting the tube, the tube is turned over and the cut surfaces of the tubes are welded and connected to each other. A holder for loading the cutting plate in a direction perpendicular to the tubes held by the tube holder and the second tube holder, wherein the holder is moved up and down by a cam rotating on a line of load of the loaded cutting plate. It is characterized by.

For example, a swingable arm having the holder at the swinging end and a lever swingable by the cam are provided, and the swinging ends are overlapped so that the lever supports the arm. Are arranged on a substantially straight line,
The cam is provided on the load line of force of the cutting plate loaded in the holder. Therefore, since the line of action of the cam and the line of action of the cutting plate overlap on the line of load force, the moment force generated from the power point offset when transmitting the power of the cam to the cutting plate can be eliminated as much as possible. By moving straight in the orthogonal direction of the tube,
The cut surfaces of the tubes can be orthogonal. Therefore,
Since the tube cut surfaces can be uniformly joined, unevenness of the joined portions can be eliminated, and sufficient joining strength can be obtained.

Further, in the tube connection device of the present invention, a plurality of flexible tubes are held by a first tube holder and a second tube holder, and the tubes are held by a first tube holder and a second tube holder. After heating and melting by a cutting plate having a heating resistor between the cutting and cutting, the tube is turned over and the cut surfaces of the tubes are welded and connected to each other. A plate spring for urging one or both surfaces of the plate to maintain an orthogonal posture with respect to the tube is provided.

Therefore, since the cutting plate in the holder urged by the leaf spring is always perpendicular to the tube without swinging, the cutting plate is cut straight at the time of cutting, and the cut surface of the tube sandwiches the cutting plate. Both are orthogonal surfaces. When the tube is turned over, the cut surfaces of the tubes located coaxially with the cutting plate therebetween are parallel to each other, and the entire cut surface pressed is uniformly joined. Therefore, the cut surface is not forcibly pressed and the burr is reduced, so that the user can easily open the cut surface. In addition, since the entire cut surface is uniformly joined, no unconnected portion is generated, and sufficient joining strength can be obtained.

Further, the tube connecting device of the present invention is characterized in that a position where the cutting plate is most flexed is urged by the leaf spring by a buckling load received when the tube is cut. Therefore, even if the cutting plate is extremely thin, it is possible to prevent buckling due to the tube resistance, and the tube cutting surfaces which are reversed and arranged coaxially are parallel to each other across the cutting plate. Therefore, since the tube cut surfaces are uniformly bonded, unevenness of the bonded portion is eliminated, and sufficient bonding strength can be obtained.

Further, in the tube connecting device according to the present invention, the leaf spring is pressed against the cutting plate in line contact with the cutting plate in the cutting direction, and is bent in the feeding direction of the cutting plate to contact resistance. Characterized in that it is provided with directionality. Therefore, when the cutting plate is pulled out of the tube after cutting the tube, the cutting plate has such a resistance that the cutting plate does not come off the holder due to the resistance of the tube,
Even when the melted scum of the tube is sent out in a state where it is attached to the cutting plate, the contact resistance of the leaf spring is small, so that the resistance is also small, and poor feeding can be avoided.

[0015]

Next, an embodiment of a tube connecting device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a clamp mechanism for holding a tube. The tube holding portion clamps and holds the two tubes 1 and 2 having flexibility (flexibility) formed of a soft resin such as vinyl chloride at the time of cutting and connection. , 2 are reversed and rearranged, and comprise a first tube holder 3 composed of a fixed clamp 11 and a movable clamp 12 and a second tube holder 4 composed of a fixed clamp 13 and a movable clamp 14. Have been. Inversion of the tube after cutting is performed by the first tube holder 3, and for this purpose, a pair of semicircular rotor pieces 15 and 16 are loaded in the fixed clamp 11 and the movable clamp 12, respectively. When the fixed clamp 11 and the movable clamp 12 overlap as shown in the drawing, the pair of rotor pieces 15 and 16
The clamp rotor 5 is configured to be rotated by a motor via a gear in a fixed clamp 11 (not shown), for example.

Each of the fixed clamps 11 and 13 and the movable clamps 12 and 14 constituting the first tube holder 3 and the second tube holder 4 are respectively supported by two guide shafts 6 so as to be fixed. 1
The movable clamps 12 and 14 are configured so as to be slidable. This movable clamp 12, 1
The clamp mechanism for moving the shutter 4 is formed by a similar configuration. Therefore, only the movable clamp 12 side will be described. An engagement pin 22 is provided upright on the lower end side surface of the fixed clamp 11, and a clamp spring 21 serving as a power source for moving the movable clamp 12 is fitted between the engagement pin 22 and a transmission rod 23 having a stopper 23 a. The end of the transmission rod 23 is supported by the crank 24.

The crank 24 is pivotally supported by a support shaft 25 so as to be swingable, and has a cylindrical fulcrum member 26, a lever 27 on which the transmission rod 23 is supported, and a movable clamp 1
2 and a plate cam 28 connected to the fulcrum member 2 is integrally fixed around the fulcrum member 26 as shown in the figure. Plate cam 2
A cam follower 29 is rotatably supported in the middle of 8, and a clamp cam 30 which is in contact with the cam follower 29 is connected to a motor shaft of a motor (not shown). Further, the plate cam 2
8, a lead cam groove 32 for guiding a cam pin 31 erected on the movable clamp 12 is formed. The lead cam groove 32 forms a curve based on a clamp force characteristic indicating a change in load required to crush the tube, and is formed such that the biasing force of the clamp spring 21 is maximized as the clamp force at the time of final clamping. It is.

Next, FIG. 2 is a side view showing a cutting mechanism for cutting the tube, and FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof. This cutting mechanism is provided between the first tube holder 3 and the second tube holder 4 as shown in FIG. The wafer 7 is a self-heating type heat-cutting plate, the details of which are not shown. For example, a metal plate such as a copper plate is folded in two, and a heating resistor having a desired pattern is formed on the inner surface thereof via an insulating layer. Formed, terminals 7p and 7q of the resistor
Are formed so as to be exposed from openings formed at one end of the metal plate.

The holder 41 on which the wafer 7 is loaded is
A groove 42 is formed in the feed direction X as shown in the perspective view of FIG. The central part of the side surface of the holder 41 is formed in a U-shape so that the loaded wafer 7 can be cut across the tubes 1 and 2, and the electrodes 51 p and 51 q and the heat storage body 52 contact the wafer 7 on the back side of the drawing. There is more space available to make it work. The electrodes 51p and 51q are fixed to a block 54 integrated with the lever 53, and are configured to contact / retreat with the terminals 7p and 7q due to the swinging operation of the lever 53. The lever 53 has electrodes 51p, 5 on its upper end.
A block 54 having 1q is fixed, a cam follower 55 is pivotally supported at the lower end, and a fulcrum hole 56 serving as a swing fulcrum is formed at an intermediate position. A pressure spring 57 is fixed below the fulcrum hole 56 between the lever 53 and the holder 41, and the electrodes 51 p and 51 q and the heat storage body 52 are pressed against the wafer 7 by the urging force applied to the lever 53. It has become.

The lever 53 is swingably supported by a support shaft (not shown) fixed to the holder 41 through the fulcrum hole 56, and swings by rotation of a cam (not shown) applied to the cam follower 55. It is configured. Furthermore,
The heat storage body 52 attached to the block 54 includes an electrode 51
The p and 51q come into contact with the terminals 7p and 7q and the side surface of the wafer 7 at the same time. For example, a metal having high thermal conductivity is used. The heat storage element 52 includes a temperature measuring element 5.
8 is buried,

Returning to FIG. 2, such a holder 41
It is fixed to one end of the arm 61. This arm 61
The support end is supported by a support shaft 63, and the fixed swinging end side of the holder 41 is pulled downward by a tension spring 64. The arm 61 is provided with a guide portion 61 projecting downward.
a is formed so that the side surface thereof is in sliding contact with the arm guide 65. The arm 61 is supported by a lever 66 via a pin 62 erected at the swing end. The lever 66 has a swinging end formed with a U-shaped notch in which the pin 62 is fitted, and the other support end is provided with a support shaft 67.
Supported by Further, a cam follower 68 is pivotally supported at an intermediate position thereof, and is in contact with a cutting cam 69.

The holder 41, the arm 61 and the lever 66 are arranged in a straight line when viewed in the plan view of FIG. 3, and the first tube holder 3 and the second tube The holder 4 is arranged. Further, the cutting cam 69 is used to connect the wafer 7 with the cutting of the tubes 1 and 2.
, On the load line of force with respect to the thrust load, and is configured to eliminate the moment force generated from the power point offset as much as possible. That is, the force acting on the wafer 7 for cutting the tubes 1 and 2 and the cutting cam 69 are formed by the cam follower 6.
The force point for pushing up 8 is located on the arrow X-ray.

The wafer 7 is stored in a wafer cassette 71
A plurality of wafers are stored in a stack, and one wafer 7 extruded on the feed line is extruded in the direction of the arrow X by the feed piece 72 moving along the feed line. On the other hand, the wafer 7 in the holder 41 is configured to be pressed from one side so as to prevent deflection in the thrust direction. That is, as shown in FIG.
A leaf spring 8 is fixed along the side surface of the column 41A, and its tip is in contact with the wafer 7, and the wafer 7 is pressed against the column 41B on the opposite side. Especially leaf spring 8
Is folded inside the column 41A, and the corner 8A
Are provided in line contact with the wafer 7. The leaf spring 8 is free on the inner side corresponding to the wafer 7, and is fixed to the column 41A on a hidden surface at the back of the drawing (see FIG. 3).

When there is nothing to support the wafer 7 in the holder 41, both ends are supported as shown in FIG. 6 by the resistance received when the tubes 1 and 2 are cut. Buckling occurs as in the case. In this case, when the most bent portion was measured, it was approximately 0.2 mm from the bottom of the wafer 7.
The position was 7 × L (L is the height of the wafer 7). Therefore, in order to prevent bending at this position, the leaf spring 8 is fixed to a height that matches the center of the corner 8A with 0.7 × L from the bottom of the wafer 7. By the way, in this embodiment, the leaf spring 8 is used to hold the wafer 7, but as another method, a ball plunger may be used and the wafer 7 may be pressed by the ball. .

However, the molten scum of the melted cut portion comes into close contact with the wafer 7 and causes a large resistance when the wafer 7 is pulled out. Therefore, in one-point support by the ball plunger,
When the wafer 7 is retracted, the wafer 7 may fall out of the holder 41 and cause a subsequent malfunction. Therefore, it is necessary to strongly press the ball against the wafer 7. On the other hand, if the ball is strongly pressed against the wafer 7, there is no place for the ball to escape due to the molten scum attached to the surface of the wafer 7, and the wafer itself will not be sent out, which may also cause a subsequent malfunction. From this point, in the present embodiment, as described above, the leaf spring 8 is brought into linear contact with the wafer 7, so that the wafer 7 has a large contact resistance in the cutting direction and the elastic force of the leaf spring 8 itself is small. The movement of the wafer 7 in the X direction is not hindered by folding the wafer 7 in the sending direction.

Each of the components of the tube connecting device as described above is housed in a body 81 shown in FIG. 2, and opens and closes a safety cover 82 attached to an opening on the upper surface of the body 81 when connecting the tube. It has been like that.

Next, the tube connecting operation in the tube connecting device having such a configuration will be described. In the tube connection device of the present embodiment, two tubes are clamped and held at two places, and after cutting between the held two points, the position of the tube cut surface is reversed, and each cut surface is alternated. Weld and connect. Therefore, first, the tube clamping operation will be described based on the clamp mechanism on the first tube holder 3 side (see FIG. 1). When the tube is inserted, the plate cam 28 is lifted by the clamping cam 30 and the cam pin 31 guided by the lead cam groove 32 is inserted.
The movable clamp 12 is retracted by the
1 and the movable clamp 12 are in an open state. Therefore,
The user can use the fixed clamp 11 and the movable clamp 12
The two tubes 1 and 2 are horizontally arranged between them.

When the safety cover 82 shown in FIG. 2 is closed and the start switch (not shown) is pressed after the arrangement of the tubes 1 and 2 is completed, the clamp cam 30 rotates and the support shaft 25 is used as a fulcrum. The plate cam 28 swings downward, the movable clamp 12 is pushed out, and the tubes 1 and 2 are clamped. That is, the crank 24 from which the projection of the clamp cam 30 has come off is urged by the clamp spring 21 and swings counterclockwise. Therefore, the plate cam 28 swings downward, the lead cam groove 32 relatively raises the cam pin 31, and the movable clamp 12 is pressed against the fixed clamp 11 via the cam pin 31 guided by the lead cam groove 32. Therefore, the movable clamp 12 and the fixed clamp 1
The two tubes 1 and 2 in between are overlapped and crushed into a flat shape.

Next, the clamped tubes 1,
2 is cut by the wafer 7. As shown in FIG. 3, one of the wafers 7 pushed out of the wafers stored in the wafer cassette 71 is hooked by the feed piece 72 moving in the direction of the arrow X, and is sent into the holder 41.
The used wafer 7 which has already been used is left as it is in the holder 41, and the new wafer 7 sent by the sending piece 72 is loaded by pushing out the used wafer 7 from the holder 41 along the groove 42. . The used wafer 7 is
Melt residue due to the cutting of the tube adheres to the surface thereof, but since the leaf spring 8 is folded in the feeding direction X, the leaf spring 8 does not catch on the adhered molten residue and the tip of the leaf spring 8 Is bent inward and escapes, so that it can be sent smoothly.

When a new wafer 7 is inserted into the holder 41, the electrodes 51p and 51q are brought into contact with the terminals 7p and 7q by the swing of the lever 53 shown in FIG. The heat is generated and the temperature rises, and further, the heat storage body 52 is brought into contact with the heat storage body 52 to prevent a sharp drop in temperature during cutting. Then, when the temperature of the wafer 7 is sufficiently raised, FIG.
The cutting cam 69 shown in FIG.
Swinging upward about the fulcrum, and the tip of the lever 66 is
The holder 41 fixed to the arm 61 is lifted via. The arm 61 swings with the support shaft 63 as a fulcrum, whereby the holder 41 moves up and down. However, since the distance from the fulcrum of the arm 61 to the movement distance of the holder 41 is sufficiently long, the wafer 7 is substantially straight. Will move up.

The wafer 7 cuts the tubes 1 and 2 in the orthogonal direction by raising the holder 41. This wafer 7
The holder 41 is made to bend the tip of the leaf spring 8 inward.
And is pressed against the column 41 </ b> B against the wide groove 42 by the elastic force of the leaf spring 8. Therefore, the wafer 7 is positioned without swinging in the groove 42. The wafer 7 positioned in this manner is set up so as to be orthogonal to the clamped tubes 1 and 2, and the tubes 1 and 2 are cut orthogonally by the holder 41 that moves in the vertical direction.

The cut tubes 1 and 2 are connected to the first tube holder 3 and the second tube holder 4 with the wafer 7 interposed therebetween.
The cutting tube 1 is cut off by the rotation of the clamp rotor 5 provided on the first tube holder 3.
a and 2a slide over the surface of the wafer 7 as shown in FIG. The cutting tubes 1a and 2b, 2a and 1b alternately arranged with the wafer 7 interposed therebetween, the second tube holder 4 being moved to the first tube at a predetermined timing when the wafer 7 descends thereafter.
The molten cut surfaces are brought close to the tube holder 3 and pressed and welded. The retraction of the holder 41
The rotation of the cutting cam 69 shown in FIG. 2 causes the lever 66 to swing downward, and at the same time, the arm 61 is pulled by the tension spring 64 to lower the holder 41. The guide portion 61 a of the arm 61 that swings downward swings the arm guide 65.

Then, the tubes 9 and 10 connected alternately are taken out from the tube connecting device which has been released from the clamp by the retreat of the movable clamps 12 and 14, as shown in FIG. Tubes 9 connected in this manner,
The cutting tubes 1a, 1b, and 10 are provided because the wafer 7 is positioned by the leaf spring 8 and cut in the orthogonal direction.
The cut surfaces 2a and 2b are both orthogonal surfaces. Therefore,
Even if the cut surfaces facing each other are different, the cut surfaces are parallel to each other and are pressed uniformly on all surfaces. In addition, since the buckling of the wafer 7 is prevented by the thrust load received when the tubes are connected, the cut surfaces of the cutting tubes 1a, 1b, 2a, and 2b are flat without irregularities. Pressed uniformly on the cut surface.

Further, since the thrust load applied to the wafer 7 and the moment force generated from the offset of the force applied to the cutting cam 69 are almost zero, the wafer 7 can be accurately perpendicular to the tubes 1 and 2. Let it cut. Specifically, the wafer 7 positioned by the leaf spring 8 is located on the arrow X as shown in FIG. 3, and moves in a vertical direction (a direction penetrating through the drawing) orthogonal to the arrow X when the tube is connected. . Therefore, the thrust load applied to the wafer 7 is on the arrow X-ray,
The point of force of the cutting cam 69, which is the main transmission part of the power for moving the vertical movement, substantially overlaps on the arrow X-ray. Therefore,
The moment force between the cutting cam 69 and the wafer 7 is applied to the lever 66 or the arm 6 as a force to tilt the wafer 7.
1, the cutting tubes 1a, 1b, 2a, 2
The cut surface of b can be made orthogonal, and from this point, it can be pressed uniformly on all cut surfaces.

Therefore, the cutting tubes 1a, 1b, 2a,
Since the cut surfaces located on the same axis of 2b can be made parallel to each other and the entire cut surface can be pressed uniformly at the time of joining, the finished portion is free from unevenness at the joined portion,
The uniform bonding also increased the bonding strength. Further, since the cut portions are pressed against each other with an appropriate force, the melted portion does not protrude widely, and the burr does not increase without increasing the opening force due to welding inside the tube. Further, as described above, since there is no moment force due to the power point offset, the rigidity of the holder 41 can be reduced, and the configuration can be reduced in size and simplified. Further, when the wafer 7 is retracted after the tube is cut, there is also an effect that the thrust force received from the tube prevents the wafer 7 from coming off the holder 41 by the corner of the leaf spring 8 being caught.

It should be noted that the tube connection device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the tube connection device. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the tube connecting device using the clamp rotor 5 for reversing the cut tube has been described. However, the tube connecting device is different in other configurations including the reversing mechanism. You may.

[0037]

According to the present invention, a plurality of flexible tubes are connected to the first tube.
After being held by a tube holder and a second tube holder, the tube is heated and melted and cut by a cutting plate having a heating resistor between the first tube holder and the second tube holder, A holder for inverting the tubes and welding and connecting the tube cut surfaces to each other, and mounting the cutting plate in a direction orthogonal to the tubes held by the first tube holder and the second tube holder. Since the holder is configured to move up and down by a cam that rotates on the line of load of the loaded cutting plate, it is possible to provide a tube connecting device in which the cut surface of the tube by the cutting plate is an orthogonal plane. Was.

Further, according to the present invention, a plurality of flexible tubes are held by a first tube holder and a second tube holder, and the tubes are held between the first tube holder and the second tube holder. After cutting by heating and melting by a cutting plate having a heating resistor, the tube is turned over and the cut surfaces of the tubes are welded and connected to each other. Since a structure having a leaf spring that urges both surfaces to maintain an orthogonal posture with respect to the tube is provided, it is possible to provide a tube connecting device in which the cut surface of the tube by the cutting plate is an orthogonal surface.

In the present invention, the position where the cutting plate is most flexed by the buckling load received when cutting the tube is urged by a leaf spring. Buckling can be prevented, and it is possible to provide a tube connecting device in which the tube cut surface is orthogonal to both sides of the cutting plate. Further, according to the present invention, the leaf spring has a configuration in which a corner portion of the tip is in line contact with the cutting plate in the cutting direction and is pressed against the cutting plate, so that directivity can be given to the contact resistance. For this reason, when the cutting plate is sent for replacement in a state where the melting residue of the tube is stuck, even if the residue becomes the resistance of the leaf spring, the contact resistance is small so that feeding failure can be avoided, It has become possible to provide a tube connecting device that can have a resistance that does not come off due to resistance when the cut portion is pulled out after cutting the tube.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a clamp mechanism in an embodiment of a tube connection device.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a driving mechanism of a wafer for cutting a tube in an embodiment of a tube connecting device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a driving mechanism of a wafer for cutting tubes in an embodiment of a tube connecting device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a holder 41 in one embodiment of the tube connection device.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing a holder 41 according to an embodiment of the tube connection device.

FIG. 6 is a view showing buckling occurring in the wafer 7;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state when the tube is cut and inverted.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the tube after connection.

FIG. 9 shows a holder 121 in a conventional tube connection device.
FIG.

FIG. 10 shows a holder 12 in a conventional tube connection device.
FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating an example of the first drive mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a cut portion and a connection portion of a tube that can occur in a conventional tube connection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2 tube 3 first tube holder 4 second tube holder 5 clamp rotor 7 wafer 8 leaf spring 24 crank 41 holder 51p, 51q electrode 61 arm 66 lever 69 cam

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI // B29L 23:00 (72) Inventor Masahiro Shimizu 1727, Tsukiji Arai, Showa-machi, Nakakoma-gun, Yamanashi Prefecture 1 Terumo Corporation

Claims (5)

[Claims] A plurality of flexible tubes are held by a first tube holder and a second tube holder, and the tubes are placed between the first tube holder and the second tube holder. In a tube connecting device for heating and melting by a cutting plate having a body, cutting the tube, inverting the tube, and welding and connecting the cut surfaces of the tubes, the tube is held by the first tube holder and the second tube holder. And a holder for loading the cutting plate in a direction orthogonal to the tube, wherein the holder is moved up and down by a cam rotating on a line of load of the loaded cutting plate. 2. The tube connection device according to claim 1, further comprising: a swingable arm provided with the holder at a swing end, and a lever swingable by the cam, and the lever is provided with the arm. A tube in which the swinging ends are overlapped with each other so as to be supported and arranged substantially in a straight line, wherein the cam is provided on a line of load force of the cutting plate loaded in the holder. Connection device. 3. A plurality of flexible tubes are held by a first tube holder and a second tube holder, and the tubes are placed between the first tube holder and the second tube holder. In a tube connecting device for heating and melting by a cutting plate having a body, cutting the tube, inverting the tube and welding and connecting the cut surfaces of the tubes to each other, the holder holds one or both sides of the cutting plate. A tube spring for maintaining a perpendicular posture to the tube. 4. The tube connection device according to claim 3, wherein a position at which the cutting plate bends most is urged by the leaf spring by a buckling load received when the tube is cut. apparatus. 5. The tube connecting device according to claim 3, wherein the leaf spring is pressed against the cutting plate in a line contact with the cutting plate in a cutting direction, and the cutting plate is sent out. A tube connecting device, which is bent in a direction to impart directivity to contact resistance.