Drive unit for prosthetic limb
First Claim
1. A drive unit for a prosthetic limb, adapted to bendably/stretchably drive first and second prosthetic limb bodies, which are connected to each other via a joint, relative to each other comprising:
- a Stirling engine including a displacer unit which is not mounted on said prosthetic limb bodies and a power cylinder unit mounted between said prosthetic limb bodies for bending/stretching said prosthetic limb bodies relative to each other;
a compression chamber of said displacer unit operatively connected to an operation chamber of said power cylinder unit via a flexible pressure conduit;
a combustor for heating an expansion chamber disposed in a displacer cylinder of said displacer unit, said combustor being provided around a head portion of said displacer cylinder;
fuel supply means operatively connected to said combustor; and
an actuator for selectively driving a displacer piston of said displacer unit is connected to said displacer piston.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A drive unit for a prosthetic limb for driving a prosthetic limb with comfort for a long time. A Stirling engine is composed of a displacer unit mounted at an arbitrary portion other than prosthetic limb bodies and a power cylinder unit mounted between the prosthetic limb bodies and for bending/stretching the prosthetic limb bodies and relative to each other. A compression chamber of the displacer unit is connected to an operation chamber of the power cylinder unit via a flexible pressure conduit. A combustor for heating an expansion chamber disposed in a displacer cylinder of the displacer unit is provided around a head portion of the displacer cylinder. A fuel supply device is connected to the combustor. An actuator for arbitrarily driving a displacer piston of the displacer unit is connected to the displacer piston.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A drive unit for a prosthetic limb, adapted to bendably/stretchably drive first and second prosthetic limb bodies, which are connected to each other via a joint, relative to each other comprising:
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a Stirling engine including a displacer unit which is not mounted on said prosthetic limb bodies and a power cylinder unit mounted between said prosthetic limb bodies for bending/stretching said prosthetic limb bodies relative to each other;
a compression chamber of said displacer unit operatively connected to an operation chamber of said power cylinder unit via a flexible pressure conduit;
a combustor for heating an expansion chamber disposed in a displacer cylinder of said displacer unit, said combustor being provided around a head portion of said displacer cylinder;
fuel supply means operatively connected to said combustor; and
an actuator for selectively driving a displacer piston of said displacer unit is connected to said displacer piston. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A drive unit for a prosthetic limb, adapted to bendably/stretchably drive first and second prosthetic limb bodies, which are connected to ea ch other via a joint, relative to each other comprising:
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a Stirling engine comprising;
a displacer unit no t mounted on the prosthetic limb bodies;
a power cylinder unit mounted between said prosthetic limb bodies for bending/stretching said prosthetic limb bodies relative to each other;
said displacer unit including a compression chamber operatively connected to an operation chamber of said power cylinder unit via a flexible pressure conduit;
an expansion chamber disposed in a displacer cylinder of said displacer unit, said expansion chamber being provided around a head portion of said displacer cylinder;
a combustor for heating said expansion chamber; and
an actuator for selectively driving a displacer piston of said displacer unit, said actuator being connected to said displacer piston. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification