2 degrees of freedom prosthetic wrist structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12539221-B2
Application number	US-202117922789-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2021
Priority date	May 4, 2020
Publication date	Feb 3, 2026
Grant date	Feb 3, 2026

Abstract

A prosthetic wrist unit providing a connection between the arm and a hand mechanism, comprising a wrist base unit with at least one connection slot into which the hand mechanism is to be inserted and at least one connecting piece enabling the rotational movement of the prosthetic wrist unit; a joint including a joint seat and a joint body; a locking mechanism comprising a locking mechanism opening into which the joint body is inserted and enabling the prosthetic wrist unit to operate in two positions, i.e., fixed or movable; an arm coupling unit into which the joint and the locking mechanism are inserted and which restricts the movement of the joint and the locking mechanism; and at least one tendon ensuring the joint stiffness of the prosthetic wrist unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A prosthetic wrist unit allowing a connection between an arm and a hand mechanism, comprising:
a wrist base unit with at least one connection slot and at least one connecting piece, wherein the hand mechanism is inserted into the at least one connection slot, the at least one connecting piece enables a rotational movement of the wrist base unit, wherein the at least one connection slot is located at a front end part of the wrist base unit while the at least one connecting piece is located at a rear end part of the wrist base unit; a joint including a joint seat and a joint body, wherein, the at least one connecting piece is inserted in to the joint seat, in order for the rotational movement of the wrist base unit to take place, the at least one connecting piece is allowed to move in the joint seat; a locking mechanism comprising a locking mechanism opening, wherein the joint body is inserted into the locking mechanism opening and the locking mechanism opening enables the prosthetic wrist unit to operate in a fixed position or a movable position; an arm coupling unit, wherein the joint and the locking mechanism are inserted into the arm coupling unit, the arm coupling unit restricts a movement of the joint and the locking mechanism, the arm coupling unit includes a front end having an arm coupling unit opening and a rear end, wherein the locking mechanism is fitted into the arm coupling unit opening, and the arm is inserted into the rear end; and at least one tendon ensuring a joint stiffness of the prosthetic wrist unit;
wherein the at least one connecting piece of the wrist base unit and the joint seat of the joint are in a form capable of providing a 2 degrees of freedom wrist movement as flexion-extension and abduction-adduction.

2 . The prosthetic wrist unit according to claim 1 , wherein the wrist base unit comprises a convex connecting piece.

3 . The prosthetic wrist unit according to claim 2 , wherein the arm coupling unit also comprises a lock, wherein the lock enables the joint and the locking mechanism to be locked inside the arm coupling unit opening.

4 . The prosthetic wrist unit according to claim 2 , wherein the joint comprises a concave joint seat.

5 . The prosthetic wrist unit according to claim 4 , wherein the arm coupling unit also comprises a lock, wherein the lock enables the joint and the locking mechanism to be locked inside the arm coupling unit opening.

6 . The prosthetic wrist unit according to claim 4 , wherein the convex connecting piece is inserted into the concave joint seat, and the concave joint seat has a circular structure larger than the convex connecting piece in order to perform a circular and arcuate movement of the convex connecting piece.

7 . The prosthetic wrist unit according to claim 6 , wherein the arm coupling unit also comprises a lock, wherein the lock enables the joint and the locking mechanism to be locked inside the arm coupling unit opening.

8 . The prosthetic wrist unit according to claim 1 , wherein the arm coupling unit also comprises a lock, wherein the lock enables the joint and the locking mechanism to be locked inside the arm coupling unit opening.

9 . The prosthetic wrist unit according to claim 1 , wherein the wrist base unit comprises at least one tendon slot, and the at least one tendon is passed through the at least one tendon slot.

10 . The prosthetic wrist unit according to claim 9 , wherein the wrist base unit comprises four tendon slots, wherein a first tendon slot is provided on a side surface of the wrist base unit and a second tendon slot is provided on upper and lower surfaces on the rear end part.

11 . The prosthetic wrist unit according to claim 1 , wherein the arm coupling unit comprises at least one tendon slot, and the at least one tendon is passed through the at least one tendon slot.

12 . The prosthetic wrist unit according to claim 11 , wherein the arm coupling unit comprises four tendon slots, wherein a first tendon slot is provided on a side surface of the arm coupling unit and a second tendon slot is provided on upper and lower surfaces on the front end.

13 . The prosthetic wrist unit according to claim 1 , wherein an amount of stiffness in the joint stiffness of the prosthetic wrist unit is adjusted by the at least one tendon.

14 . The prosthetic wrist unit according to claim 1 , further comprising an abduction-adduction connection mechanism connected to an upper elbow part of a body, the abduction-adduction connection mechanism allows an abduction-adduction movement of the prosthetic wrist unit to be performed by the at least one tendon.

15 . The prosthetic wrist unit according to claim 1 , further comprising a flexion-extension connection mechanism connected to an upper elbow part of a body, the flexion-extension connection mechanism allows an abduction-adduction movement of the prosthetic wrist unit to be performed.

16 . The prosthetic wrist unit claim 1 , wherein an amount of tension of the at least one tendon configured to adjust a rigidity in the joint stiffness of the prosthetic wrist unit is adjusted manually.

17 . The prosthetic wrist unit according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one actuator positioned within the arm coupling unit, wherein the at least one actuator automatically adjusts an amount of tension on the at least one tendon.

Assignees

• Univ Ozyegin

Inventors

• Unal Ramazan
• Elsayed Ahmed Abdelrahman Ibrahim
• Baysal Baris

Classifications

• A61F2002/5093

  Tendon- or ligament-replacing cables · CPC title

• A61F2002/503

  for adjusting elasticity, flexibility, spring rate or mechanical tension · CPC title

• A61F2/58 Primary

  Elbows; Wrists {; Other joints; Hands} · CPC title

• A61F2/68

  Operating or control means · CPC title

• A61F2/585 Primary

  Wrist joints · CPC title