Leg prosthesis

• US 6,955,692 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2004
• Issued: 10/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Osseo-PL GmbH
• Original Assignee: Eska Implants GmbH & Co. KG.
• Inventors: Grundei, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): SNOW, BRUCE EDWARD
• Application Number:
  US10/778,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20040193286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 623/27, 623 40- 46
• US Class Current: 623/40
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/60 Artificial legs or feet or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/70 electrical

Abstract

A leg prosthesis adapted to a thigh stump includes an adapter (2) for a knee joint (3), a knee joint (3) mounted on this adapter, and a prosthetic lower leg (4) coupled to the knee joint (3). A prosthetic foot (5) is attached to this prosthetic lower leg and can pivot into a toes-raised foot position. The knee joint (3) upon transition from the extended position to the bent position performs a combined rolling-sliding movement about a pivot axis (6). A force-transmitting element (8) moves the prosthetic foot (5) substantially from the toes-down foot position to the toes-raised foot position during bending of the knee joint (3). Each bending position of the knee joint is transformed by a converter into an unambiguous electrical signal, which is supplied to a programmable control device, which generates a signal used to control an electrically adjustable actuator, which increases or decreases the resistance of the knee joint against or for further bending according to the signal.

Claims

1. A leg prosthesis for adapting to a thigh stump, comprising an adapter (2) for a knee joint (3), a knee joint (3) mounted on the adapter, a prosthetic lower leg (4) coupled to the knee joint (3), a prosthetic foot (5) coupled to the prosthetic lower leg and pivotable to a toes-raised foot position, wherein the knee joint (3) is constructed such that it performs a combined rolling-sliding motion about a pivot axis (6) during a transition from an extended position of the leg prosthesis to a bent position of the leg prosthesis, wherein a distance of a point (D) in front of the pivot axis (6), when viewed dorsally, to an end (7) of the prosthetic lower leg (4) steadily decreases with increasing bending or a distance of a point (V) in front of the pivot axis (6), when viewed ventrally, to the end (7) of the prosthetic lower leg (4) steadily increases, a force-transmitting element (8) attached between at least one support point in front of the pivot axis (6), when viewed dorsally, or one support point in front of the pivot axis (6), when viewed ventrally, and the prosthetic foot (5), wherein the force-transmitting element (8) moves the prosthetic foot (5) to a large degree from the toes-down foot position to the toes-raised foot position during bending of the knee joint (3), and a converter for transforming each bending position of the knee joint into an unambiguous electrical signal, which is supplied to a programmable control device, wherein the control device generates an actuating signal used to control an electrically adjustable actuator, which increases or decreases the resistance of the knee joint against or for further bending according to the actuating signal.

2. The leg prosthesis according to claim 1, wherein the force-transmitting element (8) is formed by a connecting rod attached to the knee joint (3) and to the prosthetic foot (5).

3. The leg prosthesis according to claim 2, wherein the prosthetic foot (5) is coupled to the prosthetic lower leg (4) such that the prosthetic foot (5) can pivot about a ventral pivot point (9) and wherein the force-transmitting element (8) is attached to the prosthetic foot (5) at a dorsal support point (10).

4. The leg prosthesis according to claim 1, further comprising a flexible band (12), adjustable in its effective length, is tensioned between the prosthetic foot (5) and a support (11) on the prosthetic lower leg (4), wherein a slack in the flexible band increases for increasing bending of the knee joint (3).

5. The leg prosthesis according to claim 2, further comprising a restoring element integrated into the force-transmitting element (8) for extension of the knee joint (3) after previous bending, wherein the restoring element brings the prosthetic foot (5) back into its original (toes-down) foot position.

6. The leg prosthesis according to claim 5, wherein the restoring element has a guiding sleeve receiving a spiral spring and a plunger guided in the sleeve as part of the connecting rod, such that for increasing bending of the knee joint (3), the spring is increasingly compressed, and for extension of the knee joint (3), the spring force pivots the prosthetic foot (5) into the original foot position.

7. The leg prosthesis according to claim 6, wherein the guiding sleeve is supported in a housing mounted on the prosthetic lower leg (4).

8. The leg prosthesis according to claim 1, wherein the converter transforms the bending movement into a translational movement of a measurement block guided in guiding rails, such that the movement of the measurement block generates in an associated sensor the unambiguous electrical signal representing the bending position of the knee joint.

9. The leg prosthesis according to claim 8, wherein the measurement block is a magnet and the sensor is a Hall sensor.