Tube connecting apparatus

A tube connecting apparatus including:

• a first tube holder provided with a pair of holding members for holding a plurality of flexible tubes;
• a second tube holder provided with a pair of holding members for holding the plurality of flexible tubes,
• one or both of the first tube holder and the second tube holder including a pair of rotatable clamping members for holding the tubes, the clamping members including separable pieces disposed in rotational symmetry;
• cutting and connecting means for heating and melting the plurality of flexible tubes held in the first tube holder and the second tube holder to cut the tubes by a heated cutting plate which is moved between the first tube holder and the second tube holder and to connect the tubes cut by the cutting plate by contacting cut end faces of the cut tubes held in the first tube holder with those of the cut tubes held in the second tube holder, the cut tubes to be connected being parts of originally different tubes;
• wherein at least either one of the holding members of at least either one of the first tube holder and the second tube holder is provided with a positioning hole and the other one with a positioning protrusion engageable with the positioning hole, and positioning of the pair of holding members set together is performed by engaging the protrusion with the positioning hole.

A tube connecting apparatus including:

• a first tube holder provided with a pair of holding members for holding a plurality of flexible tubes;
• a second tube holder provided with a pair of holding members for holding the plurality of flexible tubes;
• cutting and connecting means for heating and melting the plurality of flexible tubes held in the first tube holder and the second tube holder to cut the tubes by a heated cutting plate which is moved between the first tube holder and the second tube holder and to connect the tubes cut by the cutting plate by contacting cut end faces of the cut tubes held in the first tube holder with those of the cut tubes held in the second tube holder, the cut tubes to be connected being parts of originally different tubes;
• and
• supporting means provided in at least either one of the first tube holder and the second tube holder for supporting the tubes to be arranged one over another, the supporting means being provided with a pair of supporting claws projecting for pinching the tubes therebetween, and the supporting claws each being formed with a protrusion for preventing the tubes from coming off.

A tube connecting apparatus including:

• a first tube holder provided with a pair of holding members for holding a plurality of flexile tubes;
• a second tube holder provided with a pair of holding members for holding the plurality of flexible tubes;
• cutting and connecting means for heating and melting the plurality of flexible tubes held in the first tube holder and the second tube holder to cut the tubes by a heated cutting plate which is moved between the first tube holder and the second tube holder and to connect the tubes cut by the cutting plate by contacting cut end faces of the cut tubes held in the first tube holder with those of the cut tubes held in the second tube holder, the cut tubes to be connected being parts of originally different tubes;
• and
• detecting means for detecting presence or absence of the tubes in at least one of the first tube holder and the second tube holder wherein the detecting means includes a plunger which protrudes in response to an urging force of an urging member and a sensor for detecting a position of the plunger, and
• the plunger is retracted by an elastic force of the held tubes against the urging force of the urging member and a position of the retracted plunger is detected by the sensor.

A tube connecting apparatus including:

• a first tube holder provided with a pair of holding members for holding a plurality of flexible tubes;
• a second tube holder provided with a pair of holding members for holding the plurality of flexible tubes,
• one or both of the first tube holder and the second tube holder including a pair of rotatable clamping members for holding the tubes, the clamping members including separable pieces disposed in rotational symmetry;
• cutting and connecting means for heating and melting the plurality of flexible tubes held in the first tube holder and the second tube holder to cut the tubes by a heated cutting plate which is moved between the first tube holder and the second tube holder and to connect the tubes cut by the cutting plate by contacting cut end faces of the cut tubes held in the first tube holder with those of the cut tubes held in the second tube holder, the cut tubes to be connected being parts of originally different tubes;
• and
• supporting means for arranging the tubes one over another in an outside of at least either one of the first tube holder and the second tube holder;
• wherein the supporting means includes a pair of claws for pinching the tubes therebetween, the claws being urged in directions of moving toward each other by urging members and being movable away from each other in association with rotation of the tubes against the urging force of the urging members while the tubes are rotated as held by the clamping member.