Orthopedic device with a joint

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9913739-B2
Application number	US-201514887554-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2015
Priority date	May 20, 2008
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

The application relates to an orthopedic device comprising a joint and to a method for controlling an orthopedic device, which has an upper part and a lower part supported pivotally thereon, wherein upper connecting means for fixation onto a limb are disposed on the upper part, and a locking device, which prevents a bending motion of the upper part relative to the lower part, wherein the locking device is configured such that it can be actively actuated by the user of the orthopedic device, wherein a control device is associated with the locking device, the control device being attached to the device with at least one sensor and automatically unlocking or locking the locking device as a function of the sensor signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An orthopedic device comprising:
a knee joint, and an upper part and a lower part that pivot about the knee joint, wherein an upper connection member configured to secure the device to a limb is arranged on the upper part, and which device also has a locking device configured to control a bending movement of the upper part relative to the lower part, wherein a control device is associated with the locking device, is connected to at least one sensor attached to the device and configured to generate a sensor signal, and automatically unlocks or locks the locking device as a function of the sensor signal, wherein the at least one sensor includes an angle sensor to register an angle between the upper part and the lower part, and a position sensor that determines a spatial orientation of at least the upper part, the joint being locked while the user is standing up and the joint is extended, and the bending movement is locked and an extension movement of the upper part relative to the lower part is released during an entire sit-to-stand movement of the knee joint if a fixed joint angle is exceeded;
wherein an initial sitting position associated with the sit-to-stand movement is determined when there is an approximate right angle between the upper part and the lower part as measured by the angle sensor, and when the upper part is arranged to coincide with a horizontal plane as measured by the position sensor.

2. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one of a force sensor for registering a force acting in the orthopedic device and a torque sensor for registering a torque acting in the orthopedic device.

3. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the orthopedic device is designed as a prosthetic knee joint.

4. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locking device is a hydraulic damper, which has at least one valve or restriction that can be switched by an actuator, wherein the actuator is connected to the control device.

5. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein a damping element that unlocks in a continuous fashion is associated with the actuator.

6. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locking device is designed as a hydraulic damper, which allows damped bending from an extension stop to a fixed bending angle and which blocks further bending once the fixed bending angle has been reached.

7. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a timing switching element is associated with the control device, the timing switching element delaying unlocking or locking after an appropriate signal.

8. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control device has a design that allows remote controlling.

9. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a signal generator is arranged on the device and displays or announces that the locking device is being opened.

10. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locking device is unlocked or locked as a function of a detected spatial orientation of the lower part.

11. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locking device is unlocked in the case of an alignment of the lower part within the horizontal plane.

12. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the angle between upper part and lower part is detected and the locking device is unlocked or locked as a function of the detected angle.

13. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor includes a force sensor configured to detect a force acting in the lower part, and the locking device is unlocked or locked as a function of the detected force.

14. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the locking device includes a damping element, and a damping resistance is set in the locking device with the damping element over a fixed bending range, starting from an extension stop, that allows damped bending and locks the locking device if the fixed bending angle is exceeded.

15. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a warning signal is emitted before the locking device is unlocked.

16. An orthopedic device, comprising:
a knee joint;
an upper part;
a lower part pivotally mounted to the upper part with the knee joint;
an upper connection member arranged on the upper part and configured to secure the device to a limb;
a locking device configured to control bending movement of the upper part relative to the lower part;
an angle sensor configured to determine an angle between the upper part and the lower part and generate an angle sensor signal;
a position sensor configured to determine a spatial orientation of at least the upper part in space and generate a position sensor signal;
a control device mounted to one of the upper and lower parts and configured to automatically unlock and lock the locking device in response to the angle sensor signal and the position sensor signal;
wherein the control device locks the locking device while the user is standing up and the joint is extended, and the bending movement is locked and an extension movement of the upper part relative to the lower part is released during an entire sit-to-stand movement of the knee joint if a fixed joint angle is exceeded;
wherein an initial sitting position associated with the sit-to-stand movement is determined when there is an approximate right angle between the upper part and the lower part as measured by the angle sensor, and when the upper part is arranged to coincide with a horizontal plane as measured by the position sensor.

17. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 16 , further comprising at least one of a force sensor configured to determine a force acting in the orthopedic device and a torque sensor configured to determine a torque acting in the orthopedic device.

18. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the lower part has an axial force acting therein as measured by the force sensor during the sit-to-stand movement and no axial force acts in the lower part as measured by the force sensor in the sitting position.

19. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 17 , wherein a torque force is present in the joint as measured by the torque sensor during the sit-to-stand movement.

20. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the orthopedic device is designed as a prosthetic knee joint.

21. The orthopedic device as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the locking device is a hydraulic damper having at least one valve or restriction that can be switched by an actuator, the actuator being connected to the control device.

Assignees

• Bock Otto Healthcare Prod Gmbh

Inventors

• Kampas Philipp
• Pawlik Roland

Classifications

• A61F2/70 Primary

  electrical · CPC title

• A61F2002/769

  Displaying measured values · CPC title

• A61F2002/6854

  for locking or unlocking a joint · CPC title

• A61F2002/7645

  for measuring torque, e.g. hinge or turning moment, moment of force · CPC title

• A61F2002/7635

  for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension · CPC title