Hand Prosthesis Comprising Two Drive Devices

• US 20080262634A1
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA
• Original Assignee: Otto Bock Healthcare Products GmbH (Albatros Son Holding BV)
• Inventors: Puchhammer, Gregor
• Granted Patent: US 8,343,234 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/583 Hands; Wrist joints
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/586 Fingers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30523 by means of meshing gear teeth
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30525 Worm gears
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/5018 for adjusting angular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/5043 with rotation-limiting stops, e.g. projections or recesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/5055 Reinforcing prostheses by embedding particles or fibres during moulding or dipping, e.g. carbon fibre composites
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/5093 Tendon- or ligament-replacing cables
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/587 Thumbs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/701 operated by electrically controlled means, e.g. solenoids or torque motors
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0025 Connections or couplings between prosthetic parts, e.g. between modular parts; Connecting elements

Abstract

The invention relates to a hand prosthesis comprising a chassis, to which at least one finger prosthesis is articulated, said finger prosthesis being movable about at least one swiveling axis by means of a drive.

Claims

1. (canceled)

19. A hand prosthesis comprising:

a chassis;

a finger prosthesis articulated to the chassis;

a first drive located in the chassis and coupled to the finger prosthesis, the first drive moving the finger prosthesis about a first swiveling axis relative to the chassis;

a force transmission unit located in the chassis coupling the finger prosthesis to the first drive; and

a second drive located in the finger prosthesis and coupled to a portion of the finger prosthesis, the second drive moving the portion of the finger prosthesis about a second swiveling axis relative to the chassis and to the first swiveling axis.

2. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 19, wherein the drives are decoupled from each other.

3. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 19, wherein the force transmission unit rigid under tension and yielding under pressure or elastic under bending.

4. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 19, wherein the force transmission unit comprises a cable, a fiber component or a stranded wire.

5. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cable, the fiber component or the stranded wire comprises a closed, open or twisted loop.

6. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 19, wherein the force transmission unit comprises an elastomer component.

7. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 22, wherein the elastomer component at least partially encloses the cable, the fiber component or the stranded wire.

8. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 19, wherein the force transmission unit comprises bearing bushings for receiving spindles that are provided by the hand chassis and the finger prosthesis, with the hand chassis spindles directly or indirectly mounted to the first drive and the finger prosthesis spindles mounted within the finger prosthesis.

9. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 19, wherein the force transmission unit is formed in a resiliently elastic manner.

10. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 9, wherein the spring rate of the force transmission unit is set to return the finger prosthesis into a starting position when the force transmission unit is subjected to a force due to pressure applied to the finger prosthesis.

11. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 19, wherein the drives comprise electric motors.

12. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 19, wherein the second drive is located in the finger prosthesis in a region corresponding to the Phalanx proximalis of a natural finger.

13. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 19, wherein the finger prosthesis further comprises an output element coupled to the second drive via a gear mechanism having non-intersecting axes.

14. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 13, wherein the output element comprises a worm positioned to mesh with a gearwheel segment to form a worm gear mechanism.

15. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 14, wherein the second drive is swivel-mounted on the gearwheel segment.

16. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 14, wherein the worm gear mechanism is self-locking.

17. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 14, wherein the gearwheel segment is swivel-mounted on the chassis.

18. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 19, wherein the second drive moves the finger prosthesis between a number of fixed positions.

20. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 4, wherein the force transmission unit further comprises an elastomer component.

21. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 20, wherein the elastomer component at least partially encloses the cable, the fiber component or the stranded wire.

22. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 6, wherein the force transmission unit further comprises a cable, a fiber component or a stranded wire.

23. The hand prosthesis as claimed in claim 15, wherein the gearwheel segment is swivel-mounted on the chassis.