Prosthetic knee joint with incorporated vacuum pump
View Patent ↗The invention relates to prosthetic knee joint comprising an upper part, which has an upper connecting means, and a lower part, which is pivotably mounted on the upper part and which has a lower connecting means. A vacuum pump with an inlet and an outlet, said pump being driven by the relative movement of the upper part to the lower part, is associated with the prosthetic knee joint.
1. A prosthetic knee joint, comprising:
an upper part having an upper connecting portion configured to connect the prosthetic knee joint to a proximal prosthetic member, the upper part having a solid construction;
a lower part mounted pivotably via a pivot axis on the upper part and having a lower connecting portion configured to connect the prosthetic knee joint to a distal prosthetic member;
a vacuum pump integrated into the upper part to provide a vacuum to a socket for holding a residual limb, the vacuum pump having an inlet and an outlet, the vacuum pump including a suction piston;
at least one piston bore formed in the upper part of the prosthetic knee joint, the suction piston being positioned in the at least one piston bore and operable to generate a vacuum upon relative pivotal movement of the upper part with respect to the lower part of the prosthetic knee joint;
a force transferring device arranged between the upper part and the lower part, the force-transferring device transferring relative movement of the lower part, with respect to the upper part, to the suction piston in the vacuum pump;
a suction line or suction space established in the upper part;
a first check valve arranged in the upper part, the check valve preventing a backflow of air from the suction line or the suction space into the socket; an outlet line;
a second check valve positioned in the outlet line.
2. The prosthetic knee joint as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the vacuum pump is designed such that the vacuum is generated during flexion of the prosthetic knee joint and an expulsion occurs during extension of the prosthetic knee joint.
3. The prosthetic knee joint as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the suction piston is an oscillating piston or linear piston.
4. The prosthetic knee joint as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the prosthetic knee joint is a monocentric or polycentric joint.
5. The prosthetic knee joint as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the force-transferring device is arranged to convert a pivot movement between the upper part and the lower part into a linear movement of the suction piston.
6. The prosthetic knee joint as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the force-transferring device is designed as a lever or a toothed wheel.
7. The prosthetic knee joint as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a noise damper is arranged in the outlet line.
8. A prosthetic knee joint, comprising:
an upper part configured for attachment of the prosthetic knee joint to a thigh socket, the upper part having a solid construction;
a lower part pivotally mounted to the upper part and configured for attachment of the prosthetic knee joint to a device below the knee joint;
a vacuum pump integrated into the upper part, the vacuum pump including a piston;
at least one piston bore formed in the upper part of the prosthetic knee joint, the piston being positioned in the at least one piston bore and operable to generate a vacuum upon relative pivotal movement between the upper and lower parts of the prosthetic knee joint to provide the vacuum to the thigh socket;
wherein a force-transferring device is arranged between the upper part and the lower part to transfer the relative movement to the vacuum pump.
9. The prosthetic knee joint as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the vacuum pump is designed such that the vacuum is generated during flexion and an expulsion occurs during extension.
10. The prosthetic knee joint as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the piston is an oscillating piston or linear piston.
11. The prosthetic knee joint as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the prosthetic knee joint is a monocentric or polycentric joint.
12. The prosthetic knee joint as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the force-transferring device comprises a lever or a toothed wheel.
13. The prosthetic knee joint as claimed in claim 8 , wherein a check valve operates to prevent a backflow of air into a suction line or a suction space of the vacuum pump.
14. The prosthetic knee joint as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the vacuum pump includes an outlet line with a check valve.
15. A prosthetic knee joint, comprising:
an upper part having an upper connector configured to connect the prosthetic knee joint to a proximal prosthetic member, the upper part having a solid construction;
a lower part pivotally mounted to the upper part and having a lower connector configured to connect the prosthetic knee joint to a distal prosthetic member;
a vacuum pump integrated into the upper part, the vacuum pump including a piston;
at least one piston bore formed in the upper part of the prosthetic knee joint, the piston being positioned in the at least one piston bore and operable to generate a vacuum upon relative pivotal movement between the upper and lower parts of the prosthetic knee joint to provide the vacuum to a socket for holding a residual limb;
wherein a force-transferring device is arranged between the upper part and the lower part to transfer the relative movement to the vacuum pump.
16. The prosthetic knee joint as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the vacuum pump is designed such that the vacuum is generated during flexion and an expulsion occurs during extension.
17. The prosthetic knee joint as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the piston is an oscillating piston or linear piston and is arranged in the vacuum pump.